The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced full casting for its upcoming production of Cyrano de Bergerac, a bold new version of Edmond Rostand’s classic, adapted by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson.
Directed by Simon Evans, Cyrano de Bergerac will run at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon from Saturday 27 September to Saturday 15 November 2025.
Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Lester makes his RSC debut in the title role. His extensive stage credits include Henry V and Othello at the National Theatre, Company at the Donmar Warehouse and West End, and Red Velvet in London and New York.
Susannah Fielding returns to the RSC as Roxane, having previously played Portia in The Merchant of Venice. Her recent credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre and An Enemy of the People at Sheffield Crucible.
Levi Brown joins the company as Christian, following his acclaimed performance alongside Ralph Fiennes in Macbeth and a breakout role in BBC One’s This Town.
The full company includes: Levi Brown (Christian de Neuvillette), Joseph Christain (Edmond (Young Reserve)), Sunny Chung (Sister Claire/Madame Jodolet), Philip Cumbus (Le Bret), Greer Dale-Foulkes (Abigail), Rachel Dawson (Band Member/Ensemble), Susannah Fielding (Roxane), Oliver Grant (Band Leader/Ensemble), Scott Handy (Comte de Guiche), Adrian Lester (Cyrano de Bergerac), Caolan McCarthy (Arnauld), David Mildon (Jodolet/Carbon (Reserve)), Matt Mordak (Valvert/Pierre (Reserve)), Chris Nayak (Monfleury/Priest/Bernard (Reserve)), Daniel Norford (Louis (Reserve)) and Christian Patterson (Ragueneau).
Speaking about the production, director Simon Evans said:
“Cyrano de Bergerac is one of the great plays: swashbuckling, swaggering, aching with the unspoken; and what excites me most is the chance to approach it without irony. I’m a little tired of the trend for winking, knowing productions that seem afraid to feel too much or mean what they say.
“This is a play about feeling and how we communicate it. How language seduces, protects, wounds, and heals, and it’s a thrill to work on it with Debris Stevenson: finding an approach to the text that celebrates the original and finds new ways of unlocking it. Adrian Lester is remarkable, and brings a fierce intelligence and vulnerability to Cyrano: quick witted and stirring; while Susannah Fielding’s Roxane will be funny, sharp, emotionally fearless. Together (and alongside the remarkable cast we’ve put together) they’ll light the whole story from the inside and make it feel fresh, wild and exciting.
“This version is big-hearted, quick-witted, sharp tongued, and unapologetically sincere: period enough to lose yourself in, modern enough to feel like it’s speaking directly to us about love, longing, and how we show ourselves to the world.”
The creative team includes Grace Smart (Set and Costume Design), Joshie Harriette (Lighting Design), Alex Baranowski (Composer), Donato Wharton (Sound Design), Sarita Piotrowski (Movement Director), Bethan Clark (Fight and Intimacy Director), and Matthew Dewsbury CDG (Casting Director).
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
