Rostand's play was an instant success because by the time his romantic "heroic" comedy arrived on the French stage, his countrymen had grown tired of the dark, sobering contemporary writings of the likes of Zola. They found in Rostand's play the romance missing from daily life, and the glory of France's past. The French, and soon the rest of Europe, could not resist the fine mixture of volatility of public bravado and private pain that embodies Cyrano, who is almost constantly on stage during the play.

Cyrano has been a favorite of many leading actors, who have portrayed him on stage and in films, among them José Ferrer and Richard Mansfield. Now, this play has been turned into a charming musical—it still awaits to be staged—simply called Cyrano. How do I know? I have been listening to the CD that was released last year and came to my attention in December. It is the brainchild of Michael Fox, who worked more than a decade ago on a Cyrano de Bergerac production at the Shaw Festival, and thought it would make a fitting musical. He then persuaded his brother Rick, a composer and music director, to work with him on this musical version.

It is not easy to get a new musical staged and so, the two brothers decided that it might be a good idea to make a recording of some excerpts of their work. What they have come up with is known as a studio cast recording. In it they have brought together considerable Canadian talent that includes Brent Carver, Patricia O'Callaghan, David Rogers and Michelle Fisk. Carver became involved some years ago when the Fox brothers made their demo of their musical. He then sang the lead role and he does so again on this CD.

The 25-piece orchestra is also nothing to snuff at. It includes the talented trumpeter Stuart Laughton, violinist Michele Irion, who served as concert master, and Rick Fox on piano, harpsichord and organ.

The music on this CD is catchy and so are the lyrics. It is well played, the voices are fine, and the sound is good. You can hum to the music, even sing with it if you follow the lyrics provided in the liner notes, although you will soon notice that the performers don't always follow the lyrics exactly. But that's okay.

I enjoyed what I heard, but what is missing in the lyrics is some of the saber-sharp wit for which the character, Cyrano, is famous. I also missed what in operatic terms is called a really outstanding "aria" for either Cyrano or for Roxane, the female lead of the play and musical. And, the voices of Cyrano (Brent Carver) and Christian (David Rogers) are too similar in tone so that at times it is hard to tell where one starts and the other ends. Carver is not always boisterous enough for the dynamic outbursts of Cyrano, although he captures the sensitive moments very well.

Cyrano, over the years, has grown on me—the play, that is—and I would really love to see this musical staged. It has some worthwhile music, although it lacks the little something that makes it stand out from the current musicals that float around. After all, the hero is supposed to be a member of that group of soldiers from the Gascony (descendants of the Basque), who served as the household troops of Louis XIII, and produced the "Three Musketeers". Consequently, it needs a few melodies you can easily remember, and that carry you away. Let's face it, ever since Gigi, musicals have stopped being musical show pieces and instead have become visual spectacles. Gigi was the first musical that lacked an outstanding song, and in a way, it was the one that ended the era of the Broadway musical.

Having said all this, you can be sure I will be listening to this CD again, many times. As I said, it is catchy, and it really grows on you.