EDMOND ROSTAND was probably very earnest when he wrote his most famous play, Cyrano De Bergerac. Chances are, he wouldn't have liked this version very much, and that would have been his loss. Before the crowd had even sat down, the comic trio had them in stitches, getting them ready for when the show began properly.
That took a while, because the funny men were just having too much fun with the crowd. They could have kept that up for the whole hour and no-one would have complained or asked for their money back, because the actors were so naturally and effortlessly hysterical in themselves.
From the start to the end, Richard Maritzer, as Cyranose, Shelby Bond and Vinny Cardinale – each taking multiple roles – had the audience laughing.
Much of the show was improvised around audience reactions but this wasn't as haphazard as it might sound.
Each of the threesome are clearly masters of their craft, and every crowd can be sure of a completely different, first-class, hour-long belly laugh.

Written by: Liz Rawlings
This is the first year comic trio Sound and Fury have bought one of their shows to Edinburgh, and it’s well worth the wait. This musical parody of Cyrano de Bergerac, enacted in modern-noveau style, is a vaudevillian treat performed at lightening pace and with rapier-like wit.
The Los Angeles-based troupe begin by chatting to the audience, casually introducing their act as if we’re long-lost friends catching up over a coffee. This is all part of their grand plan – to present an hour of comedy in a friendly, accessible manner. It’s a plan with audience interaction at its heart and as a result, there are no passive bystanders.
The story is simple; Cyranose falls in love with his cousin Roxanne (“it’s okay, we’re in France”), but is blighted by insecurities about his big nose and instead helps another man to win her heart. Meanwhile, since it’s 1642, sarcasm has just been invented, which is a useful tool to have in the armoury of any budding-comedy troupe and is consequently employed in abundance.
'Cyranose' is silly—think Monty Python with American accents—and mime sword fights, cheap wigs and bad accents all contribute to the hilarity and havoc.
The three men—Shelby Bond, Vinny Cardinale and Richard Maritzer—have sparkling chemistry, and their tremendous quick-wit is exemplified when, after an audience member suggests ‘Cantelope’ for one particular sketch, Maritzer comes out from backstage to shout, "We cant elope, we’re married."
Cyranose is a deliciously silly play, a song-and-dance treat, and a Fringe highlight.

Low Down
Sound And Fury rework the story of Cyrano de Bergerac and his unrequited love for the fair Roxanne through a mixture of gag-a-minute comic routines, silly song parodies and audience-baiting improvisation, bringing old-fashioned vaudeville to the Edinburgh stage.

Review
As the trio that make up Sound And Fury admit, theatre isn’t hugely respected in America. To say you’re performing onstage is often taken to mean “not good enough for TV”. Perhaps it’s not surprising then that they’ve opted to view Cyrano De Bergerac through a more American lens, that of variety and vaudeville. The story is a familiar one: witty, accomplished Cyrano is in love with Roxanne, but is ashamed of his huge nose (in this version, a result of Body Dysmorphic Disorder rather than any nasal grotesquery). Instead, Roxanne has fallen for handsome yet stupid Christian.
De Bergerac ends up helping the young man woothe woman he loves with his ownl yrical declarations. As with all vaudeville, the plot is merely a framework upon which to hang a series of routines and jokes of tremendous variety: references to Blaise Pascal and his adding machine vie with pop lyrics, running gags about a constantly moving beauty spot, discussions on French pronunciation, and near-the-knuckle innuendo.
As Cyrano, Richard Maritzer holds the audience, as well as the play, together. It takes a confident performer to get the crowd to recite the first eighteen lines of the script (read from laminated cards) as he does: an ingenious device to bring the paying public immediately onside. The other two play multiple roles: Vinny Cardinale is a diverting (if bony-chested) Roxanne and the actor McFlurry; while Shelby Bond, ever-grinning, gallops between costume changes as Christian, De Quiche, and various others, taking a childish delight in the pace and sheer silliness of it all.
With minimal props, and on a bare stage, the cast make a virtue out of their limited circumstances, which include having had their swords impounded by customs, while also making use of cartoon-like sound effects: a result of having toured this show globally for the last twelve months. Indeed, so tight are the performers that it’s hard to tell if sometimes the improvisations around mistakes are just that, or have been incorporated for more comic business. Not once, however, do they lose sight of the main plot.
In the end, this is an hour of unadulterated fun, and nothing more, as evinced by their closing number, “The Morality Song”. However to hold a cold, wet Edinburgh audience rapt for an hour requires skill as well as charm. Erudition and smut held together with the manic energy of The Marx Brothers: these are truly modern vaudevillians at the height of their powers.

Sound and Fury’s latest offering is a dazzling period style theatre show with razor sharp wit and rapport. We all know the Cyrano de Bergerac story: Cyrano falls in love with Cousin Roxanne but blighted by insecurities about his nose he assists in the wooing of her through young handsome Christian. The story is retold to great and hilarious effect by the three male actors onstage, taking all parts in this comedy adaptation. Quick fire banter seamlessly covers any mishaps (perhaps there are some - it is difficult to tell…) and sharp observations are interjected by the players when the audience, gamely and enthusiastically, is encouraged to participate.
The three performers are adept and engaging with their chemistry and interaction with each other, fizzing and sparking so that the audience can’t help but be taken along for the ride. The zesty actors are complimented by the witty and observational script that references everything from Eighties pop classics to current political affairs and recurring jokes about the French and Canadians.
It’s difficult to pinpoint just a few of the high points in this high-standard work but the jokes regarding the reason for Cyranose’s nose complex are exquisite; even the baser gags are carried out with a charm that is so often missing from today’s toilet humour comedy agenda. Referring to the “Fourth Wall” as the barrier between viewer and performer they quickly pick up on audience reaction (don’t let them catch you sending text messages!), making it as much part of the show as the already scripted one.
It’s difficult to find fault with this production that, whilst essentially set-less, is utterly absorbing and evocative for the imagination. Miss this and miss a real gem.
5/5 Catriona Ruth Paterson

Three brave Antipodeans strive to bring class and comedy to the masses at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival by presenting their adaptation of 'Cyranose'. Immediately they terrify playgoers by coming amongst us to encourage audience participation. Faced with the shock of having to talk out loud during a show and the obvious language difficulties, immediately added to the humour of the show. The well-known story of how Cyranose loves his cousin Roxanne, and how Roxanne loves Christian is the kernel at the heart of this performance. As the layers of the plot are added to the whole thing gets nuttier and nuttier, branching out in so many directions you find yourself spinning through time space and pop music.  This hilarious romp is worth fitting in so many ways it is difficult to successfully put into words. At least one of these three attractive talented young men (two of which we are assured are single!) will appeal to well over 50% of the audience, Shelby Bond, Vinny Cardinale and Richard Maritzer are ‘Sound & Fury’. You deserve a sound beating and may find yourself in a fury if you don’t get to see this spectacle! -- Sheila 4/5 stars

The Bard gets a breather this year as the fringe-favourite trio of Fakespearean bad boys (Canned Hamlet, 2006) thrust, parry, pun and parody their way over to France to take a side-splitting swipe at Cyrano de Bergerac. The story (like it matters if there is one) follows our hapless, nasally endowed hero, Cyranose de Biouvac, as he seeks to reconcile his unrequited love for his cousin Roxanne -- the homliest, most hirsute maiden to ever grace a fringe stage. It's 1642 in Gascony, France. Meanwhile, in the New World, Montreal has been founded and sarcasm has just been invented. If you've seen these California cut-ups in action, you know what's coming next -- 60 minutes of jaw-aching hilarity featuring cheap wigs, bad accents, and sinfully silly song-and-dance numbers. ("I would conquer all of Norway, just to see you naked in my doorway" ... you get the picture.) Talk about bang for your buck; these guys also act as ushers and warm you up. Get there très early.