This is not part of some elaborate simulation devised by the online music media: The National have really and truly written a musical of Cyrano de Bergerac, which will be premiered at Goodspeed Musicals’ series in Connecticut this summer. I don’t know what kind of literature they’re teaching at the schools these days, but just to be clear, Cyrano de Bergerac is a late-19th-century tragic play about a soldier, expert swordsman, and Orphic musician-poet with a huge nose. Edmond Rostand’s original text is already written in verse, but according to Playbill, Matt Berninger and his frequent co-writer and wife Carin Besser are crafting lyrics, and Bryce and Aaron Dessner are writing the music. The production will be directed by director/writer/actress Erica Schmidt, who most recently had a hit with her play All the Fine Boys last year. The production is set to run August 3 through September 2. Watch the videos below and let your imagination run wild.
