Instead of the title character bearing an extended nose, Peter Dinklage has called upon his short stature as his character’s distinguishing feature. When his beloved Roxanne (Haley Bennett) declares her love for a handsome soldier (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Cyrano helps the young man woo her, despite his own secret love for her. The songs in this musical version are by Matt Berninger (of The National) and his wife Carin Besser. They’re all earnest and bland, almost everyone sounds the same. Adding to the insult is the sometimes lovely, sometimes ludicrous choreography, esp. the dancing soldiers). While Dinklage is expectedly brilliant, it’s hard for him to overcome the tedious singing. Some of the imagery is gorgeous, while some of it is too dark. Without the songs, this might have been a powerfully moving tragedy, but the music gets in the way of the story’s dramatic effect. 
(2.5 / 5)
