St. Petersburg theater cancels ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ production after audience member reports 19th-century French play for ‘discrediting’ Russian army

St. Petersburg’s Alexandrinsky Theater has canceled the April and May shows of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” a production of Edmond Rostand’s 19th-century play.

Earlier this month, St. Petersburg police received a complaint from an audience member who accused the play’s director, Nikolay Roshchin, of “discrediting” the Russian armed forces in his production.

The theater troupe confirmed to the St. Petersburg-based publication Rotonda that the local police did inquire into the production, but ultimately didn’t see anything subversive about it.

The theater’s management told Rotonda that the spring shows of “Cyrano” were cancelled due to “technical issues.”