Ashamed of his extraordinary nose, Cyrano de Bergerac finally gets to woo the beautiful Roxane when she falls for the handsome but tongue-tied Christian.

Rostand’s Gascon hero is brought to life beautifully through Ranjit Bolt’s vivid translation that maintains the verse without diluting either romance or action.

Gwilym Lloyd rises to the challenge of the role, inhabiting Cyrano thoroughly, creating both the garrulous warrior and eloquent lover.

Iris Roberts is a remarkable Roxane, bursting with energy and grasping the text with a passion. There is a remarkable chemistry between these two actors, creating some fine romantic moments on stage.

There are many areas of this production that deserve praise, not least the ebullient ensemble and especially Philip Scott-Wallace as the handsome Christian, Samuel Donnelly as a sympathetic de Guiche and David Mildon as Le Bret. Jonathan Leverett has choreographed genuinely lively sword fights that defy the small acting space and director Simon Evans ensures that the pace of this lengthy piece never falters.

Design has evidently been an afterthought here with unimaginative settings and dubious costume choices that can only be forgiven thanks to the enthusiasm of the cast.

Sadly Cyrano’s nose is the elephant in the room for all the wrong reasons and make-up artist Vanessa Pendergrest needs to rethink both its application and colour.