Arts & Entertainment
Cyrano Gets A Makeover - "Calvin Berger" at George Street Playhouse
It is said that there are only seven original plots, but endless takes on each. Among the most memorable 'boy-girl' variations, for example, is the ingenious Cyrano de Bergerac. So why not update that one, add some songs and see what happens?
Barry Wyner has done just that. His Calvin Berger (his, as in book, music and lyrics) is a Cyrano derivative, set in a present-day public high school. It's lively throughout and, where it adheres to its source, amusing.
Nerdy Calvin (Noah Weisberg), self-conscious about his large nose, is stuck on pretty Rosanna (Krystal Joy Brown), who in turn has the warms for Matt (David Hull), a handsome jock with abs of steel and a brain of mush. Then there's Calvin's friend Bret, who here is conveniently female (Dana Steinberg).
Calvin tutors Matt in the art of sweet talk and ghost writes his love notes to Rosanna. Unlike in Cyrano, the deception is revealed in plenty of time for a happy resolution.
Weisberg and Hull are a smooth team. A locker room scene where they plot the deception ("We're the Man") and one in a soda shop that updates Cyrano's surrogate wooing to cell phones, are well-timed and funny.
Wyner's songs are generic soft rock, with lyrics that range from simple ("it isn't meant to be; I'm not her cup of tea") to convoluted ("they're like two peas in a pod; please tell me God is there a pea for me").
Kathleen Marshall's direction, on Derek McLane's excellent two-tiered set, is spritely, but her principal talent, choreography, is wasted on the virtually dance-free show.
Padded beyond its Cyrano references, Calvin Berger would be better in one 90-minute act. At any length, its appeal is likely limited to teen age-mates of Calvin and Matt.
At George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, through March 14. Performances Tuesday-Sunday at various times. For information and tickets ($29.50-$79.50): (732) 246-7717 and at www.GSPonline.org.
