There are times at the theatre when, from the moment a play begins, you just know there is magic in the air. And so it was at Sport for Jove’s Cyrano de Bergerac.

As soon as the actors began to take to the stage, some making their entrance down the aisles, you could sense the audience leaning in, drawn to the stage as a scene at the theatre burst into vivid life: a drunken songwriter slumped at a piano carousing with an accordion, pickpockets and an ice cream seller plying their trade, patrons taking their seats.

^{Damien Ryan as Cyrano de Bergerac. Photograph © Phil Erbacher}

As the story unfolded, you could feel the audience going on the journey as one – laughter echoing around the auditorium, sudden moments of silence so total you could hear a pin drop, waves of shared emotion. Through the entire three hours (including a 30-minute interval) the life-affirming play held us captivated until the final standing ovation.

The production premiered in December 2013 when Sport for Jove staged it in the picturesque setting of Bella Vista Farm at Baulkham Hills. It was a huge hit, winning three...