Gabriel Barre, who is best known as a director of new musicals like Andrew Lippa’s “The Wild Party” and “Amazing Grace,” performs double duty in Resonance Ensemble’s production of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” both staging the swashbuckling French romance and playing the long-nosed title character.
It is done in the style of other performer-oriented ensembles like Fiasco and Bedlam, with limited scenery and a tightly-knit eight-member ensemble that occasionally plays instruments and interacts with audience members. The costumes are in the traditional period style.
The production could have been a bit shorter (it runs just under three hours), but it is enjoyable and tenderly played out. With the gentlemanly, likable Barre in the lead, it is reminiscent of the practices of 19th-century touring companies, where the producer/manager was usually also the star attraction.
It is being produced concurrently with “Burning,” a new play with Catherine Curtin (“Orange is the New Black”) that is a contemporary variation on “Cyrano de Bergerac.”
If you go
“Cyrano de Bergerac” runs through Feb. 28 at Theatre at St. Clements, 4323 W. 46th St.
