Rostand triumphs with Cyrano
" The glory of my father, we cannot imagine it today. We do not realize any more what was his celebrity. It was a kind of fetishism " explained his son Jean Rostand.
December 27th, 1897, in the Theater of the Porte Saint-Martin the first theatrical performance of Cyrano de Bergerac, the new play of a young author, Edmond Rostand is played.
At the age of 29, Rostand is a poet still little known. " The Romantic " were played the Comédie Franþaise on May 21st, 1894 and next years. On one year later, heobtains an honorable success with " The distant Princess " interpreted by Sarah Bernhardt, who also playes in 1896 " The Samaritan ". But nobody suspects the epic talent which he is going to reveal with his new work.
In this winter evening, nothing lets augur the flood of enthusiasm which is going to follow. The atmosphere is for the doubt. Edmond Rostand tells later "I shall never forget that, the day before Cyrano, a comedian going out of the last repetition having met a colleague who looked questioningly at him, answered laconically: "black".
From the first act, the public is lifted by the panache of Cyrano
Ah no! young blade! That was a trifle short!
You might have said at least a hundred things
By varying the tone. . .like this, suppose,. . .
Aggressive: 'Sir, if I had such a nose
I'd amputate it!' Friendly: 'When you sup
It must annoy you, dipping in your cup;
You need a drinking-bowl of special shape!'
Descriptive: ''Tis a rock!. . .a peak!. . .a cape!
--A cape, forsooth! 'Tis a peninsular!'
