Cyrano de Bergerac at Oak Park Festival Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...It's entirely possible that a few more performances under the stars will give this show the panache it lacked opening weekend, but even at three-quarters speed, Theis' production takes good advantage of the sylvan setting. And Hickey's passionate commitment to Rostand's flowery yet muscular language convinces us that this Cyrano will indeed live up to his pledge 'never to make a line I have not heard in my own heart.' "

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...No translator is given credit for this English-language version of French dramatist Edmond Rostand's 1897 play about a witty, famously large-nosed 17th century poet, soldier, and playwright--and that's just as well. The script is merely serviceable, retelling Cyrano's story--notable mainly for his unrequited love for his cousin Roxanne--without wowing us with literary pyrotechnics. Director Kevin Theis's production is similarly disappointing, puttering along without ever stirring the blood. Despite Jeff Coates's skillful choreography, the fight scenes never excite. The moments of bittersweet romance never move, and the comic scenes only inspire a mild smile."

Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Director Kevin Theis' decision to cast an actor more often associated with comedic roles to play this complex nonpareil might initially seem an odd choice. Festival Theatre regular Jack Hickey proves himself adroit in his interpretation of Brian Hooker's florid translation, however, his textual sensitivity assuring our equal awareness of both Cyrano's sardonic humor and the pride that fuels it, the better to heighten the tragedy when he must finally confront the defeat that ultimately undoes all such self-styled invincibles."

Chicago Free Press - Highly Recommended

"...Kevin Theis’ enthralling open-air production captures all the meta-theatricality of this unashamedly grandiloquent epic/romance. At its great heart is Jack Hickey’s splendid Cyrano, noble independence at its most exasperating. His voice modulating Rostand’s music much as Jose Ferrer did on stage and in film, Hickey registers the heartbreak of an unillusioned Don Quixote who knows he won’t get Dulcinea. Instead he collaborates with Wesley Scott’s justly handsome Christian to create a perfect lover who, divided, cannot conquer. As Roxane, Katherine Keberlein’s blonde beauty is only undermined by her occasionally confusing harshness with intensity."