CYRANO
From Cyrano de Bergerac by Damien Ryan
In Ryanâs adaptation of Rostandâs classic, Cyrano is a soldier, a swordsman, a poet, musician, fighter, philosopher and astronomer. Valvert, a theatre worker, has just called a spade a spade and described Cyranoâs nose as âvery bigâ. Cyrano is disappointed with Valvertâs lack of eloquence and is encouraging him to be more inventive in his description. We have cut some of the other charactersâ lines to create this monologue.
The things you could have said before this choir,
To belittle this eruption, this erection;
Oh, for a second chance, âA muse of fire,
To ascend the brightest heaven of inventionâ.
Let me direct you; first, letâs tryâAggressive:
âFetch the guillotine! Letâs amputate!â
No, too much attack, too early; tryâImpressive:
âWow! The blood bank must be thrilled when you donateâ.
Theatrical: âA plague on both these houses âŚ!â
Decorum: âPlease put that back in your trousersâ.
Olympian: âOnâya marks, get setâ [thrusting his head forward] I never lose!â
Pythagoras: [measuring his nose] âBet the squares donât equal that hypotenuse!â
Erotic: Do you like ânasalâ? Just the tip!
Oh, come on, youâve all seen a stiff upper lip!
Sightseeing: âAh, the pyramid of GizaâJesus!âlook at the pyramid on that geezer!â
A gift: âFor your coalmines ⌠itâs a canaryâ.
Aqualine: âIâd love to see your Julius Caesar,
You could beware the Ides of March in February âŚâ
Envious: âWish I could smoke in the rain!â
Bewilderment: âYou oughta see the grindstone âŚ!â
Telegram for Mr Bergerac: âOh, again âŚ
Paris wants to excavate more limestoneâ.
Friendly: âUsherâIâd like to buy this man a drink,
A bloody Mary. No, a Looonnnggg Island ice tea.â
Curious perhaps: âWhat makes you blink?
Is it reflex or too much gravity?â
Then just plain Thoughtless: âYouâd look good in mink.
But use your nasal hair, youâll save a fortune.â
OrâControversial: âI suppose you think
A face like this will legalise abortion?â
A huge reaction from the crowd at the scandalous reference, so he has to reign it back in to less offensive material.
Alright, apologies, apologies âŚ
A touch more Gracious: âYou must be fond of birds,
To give them such a vast and Gothic perchâ.
Existential, or if you like, Absurd:
âWeâve found God! He has a portable churchâ.
Artistic: âYour self-portrait ⌠is a landscape,
Isnât it?â, or perhaps Geology:
âIs that a rock, a headland, or a cape?
Looks more like a peninsula to me!â
Cartography? Ohh yes: âHope that mountainâs not to scale âŚ!â
Moby Dick? Youâd have me call my nose a whale? Well âŚ
âWeâve found her, Capâm, thar she blowsâ!
Archeological: âWe also found the Grail!
âIt was there the whole time, right under his nose!â
Desperate: âGive up smoking, you can do it,
Weâve lost a dozen chimney sweeps this week,
Itâs Dickensian to put these children through it;
Close those Satanic Mills, itâs just too bleakâ.
Or âŚ
Captainâs Log, âWeâre four miles from the peak!â
Surgical: [sniffing] âAh, I think weâve lost a nurse âŚâ
Emily Bronte: âThereâs some Heights to make you Wutherâ.
Oedipal: âThis cold is like a curse,
Give me a tissue, wifeâ. âWhat am I, ya mother?â
Commercial: âA sign! ⌠For a perfumery!â
Fiscal: âDonât open both of those accountsâ.
Biblical: âWhen it bleeds, itâs the Red Seaâ.
Grateful: âWell ⌠I guess itâs the snort that counts âŚâ
He finds a newspaper on the piano.
Ah, the classifieds: âWarehouse available! Subdivided!â
DĂŠjĂ vu: âIâve seen that nose before ⌠No, I canât pick it âŚ
Beat.
I mean I really canât pick it!â
âOh, I know you now ⌠youâre um ⌠youâre ⌠Easter Island!â
Transport: âOn the Metro, do you buy two tickets?â
Typical actor: âBet the acoustics up there are fantasticâ.
[A sudden sneeze] Aachoo!ââHayfever! Get a beaver! Weâll build a dam!â
Costume party: âOkay, that mask is a little drastic âŚâ
RenĂŠ Descartes: [with a big sniff] âYou stink, therefore I am âŚâ
St Nicholas!âEasy one, come on ⌠piece of cake âŚ
âHe sees you when youâre sleeping, he NO ⌠SE wh...