ou have heard this story before. Ugly guy falls in love with a Pretty Girl, but lacks the confidence to pursue said Pretty Girl. So instead he helps Good Looking Stupid Guy (who is also in love with her) woo and win Pretty Girl. Mistaken identities and sexual frustration abound.

This particular edition of the story, however, could be quite possibly the first. Edmond Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” was first performed in 1897 and lifted the playwright to the ranks of the great French dramatists.

It’s a play about Zest For Life, Living Life To Its Fullest. Actors, specifically Patrick Page in the title role, recite their lines with such sheer relish you half expect them to start tearing into chunks of raw meat with their teeth, just to demonstrate how to truly Live.

Patrick Page and Tari Signor play the big-nosed but poetic Cyrano and the beautiful, deep-breathing Roxane.

And this performance strategy of the Pioneer Theatre Company’s new production, which opened yesterday, holds a certain charm. Especially during the first act, there’s a nice back and forth between characters—exchanges showcase Cyrano’s wit while never letting it take over the stage.

The same cannot be said for the entire production. The flowery descriptions get to be a bit much—we can only listen to his beautiful images so many times before we stop thinking he’s a genius and start longing for the first act, where we got 10 minutes of nose jokes (and some are pretty funny.)

“Cyrano de Bergerac” is the story of Cyrano (de Bergerac), a soldier in the French guard in the 17th century, a raucous, large living, irreverent kind of guy who, in the grand tradition of Jerry Lee Lewis and the European nobility, is in love with his cousin, the lovely Roxane. Unfortunately, in addition to being a wit, playwright and excellent swordsmen, Cyrano has an extremely (and we mean extremely) large nose. It makes him extraordinarily ugly and while he is allowed to crack jokes about it, no one else is.

His cousin considers him a good friend while she eyes the handsome Christian, one of the new soldiers in the guard. He likes her too, but fears she will never love him because he’s a bit dim. Roxane worries about his safety in his new position in the guard and enlists Cyrano to protect him. Before you know it, guess who’s writing love letters for whom.

Roxane (Tari Signor) is the guilty party as far as the flowery speeches are concerned. Cyrano romances her by dictating to the utterly charmless Christian (James Knight) and one can’t help but wonder why he caught her eye before Cyrano started feeding him his lines.

The play bogs down in its own seriousness in the two final acts. The charming wit and Zest For Life get replaced by war, death, misanthropy and more death.

The play hints at a darkness in Cyrano as his rugged individualism begins to antagonize the whole world, but never satisfyingly explores it. And at a running time of almost three hours, we should probably be grateful.

Yup, you have heard this story before (quite possibly in Steve Martin’s modernized movie version of the play, “Roxanne”). But the original holds a certain charm that the others just don’t have. Even though they may be shorter, with a happier ending.

“Cyrano de Bergerac” runs until Oct. 11 at Pioneer Theatre (300 S. 1400 East). Student discounts are available. Visit www.pioneertheatre.org or call 581-6961 for more information.

bobbi@red-mag.com