As controversial as this might sound, Virginia Gay’s same-sex take on Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play has received widespread acclaim. After debuting in Melbourne in 2022, it appeared at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and is now playing at London’s Park Theatre. Directed by Clare Watson, the production replaces Roland’s classic verse with a modern script. Christian, the handsome but superficial suitor vying for Roxanne’s heart, is now Yan. Cyrano remains Cyrano—but now he is a woman, grappling not with physical insecurities but with the weight of an unspoken queer desire. “In her hands,” writes the Times contributor Donald Hutera, ”Cyrano becomes a giddy and sensitive celebration of love; a feel good romp full of deep pleasures that seem to reach beyond the space in which we experience them.” —Jeanne Malle