The Story of Cyrano de Bergerac

The Story of CYRANO DE BERGERAC

SYNOPSIS

KLSP’s unique French-Malaysian version of Cyrano combines storytelling and performance of key scenes in contemporary English with a hint of French. 

The play opens in Paris 1640. And we are at a play within the play. From the audience, a man intrudes the performance. He is a skilled swordsman, a poet, an intellect, a man of many talents.  A man with a frightfully large, hideous nose! He is Cyrano de Bergerac--a cadet who, nonetheless, is full of panache. 

Against the backdrop of the Franco-Spanish War (1635-16590), a poignant love story unfolds.  Cyrano is in love with the beautiful Roxane but dares not declare it to her. 
The play captures the French culture, arts, language, food, spirit, and the ideals which the world associates with France and its people. In this play, panache is underscored with all the heroism of living and striving for ideals in the face of insurmountable odds. Even the inevitable. 

Premiered at Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) on 24 April 2019, the play received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. Four out of the six performances were attended by students from local public schools and a private university. For a lot of them, this was their very first time in a theatre, watching a play, and in French. Survey shows that many thought theatre was boring, but changed their mind after watching this show. Asked if they would come back for more, it was a resounding YES. 

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

From an informal group which started in 2011, KL Shakespeare Players has established itself as the most active theatre company in Malaysia that takes shows beyond Kuala Lumpur and Penang, to campuses in all over Malaysia. Starting 2018, the list includes Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and Italy.

In 2017 and 2018, we were engaged by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to perform Shakespeare and conduct workshops on selected classics to English teachers involved in the pilot IGCSE English Literature Programme and the Big “L”. 

We have also worked with organizations such as Alliance Française KL, British High Commission, British Council and Japan Foundation KL.

During the pandemic, KLSP offered live, interactive productions but online. This change enabled us to reach audiences that we would not be able to through live in-person performances. The continuing growth of our audience suggests that online performances must have a place in KLSP’s roster and repertoire. 

Besides shows, KL Shakespeare Players actively provide training and workshops to students from universities, colleges, international and national schools, to increase their appreciation of the Bard, to improve their communication skills, or to explore various aspects of stagecraft.

The company has also presented papers and shared ideas at international events, like the Conference of the Asian Shakespeare Association, IDEA (International Drama/Theatre & Education Association), and will be presenting at the Asia Pacific Network of Cultural Education and Research.

PRODUCTION TEAM 

Producers 
Alliance Française Kuala Lumpur
Jom Francais
Embassy of France in Kuala Lumpur
KL Shakespeare Players

Executive Producers
Lim Kien Lee
Lim Soon Heng

Script 
Lim Ken Lee
Grégory Henno

Actors 
Grégory Henno
Nikki Basharudin
Teon Jun Vinh
Lim Soon Heng

Stage Manager
Zul Zamir 

Intern
Nurhana Nabilah Che Mahathir