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Theresa Reid probably didn't expect her Albuquerque Little Theater directing bow to be quite so sweeping, so grandiose, so filled with flourish.

Before stepping in as replacement director for ALT's production of Edmond Rostand's romantic, lyrical and swashbuckling play "Cyrano de Bergerac," the most epiclike stage production she had been involved in was "The Sound of Music."

"The difference between the two is that they take place 300 years apart and one has a happy ending," Reid said during a phone interview. "In terms of a costume drama of this scale, `Cyrano' is a first for me."

Reid is new to Albuquerque, too, in her seventh month here after being hired as ALT's artistic director. She comes from Denver, where she kept busy in that city's theater community as an actor, director and teacher and as the artistic director of a children's theater company.

Since early October, when she took up the directing chores, Reid has been plenty busy with "Cyrano," the story of a man who allows his oversized nose to get in the way of his heart's desire.

She has immersed herself in the period of Rostand's play — written about 1897 but set in France in the years between 1640 and 1654. She studied up on details such as the colors and the music popular in 17th-century France.

"Whenever I direct, I almost always do the sound design," she said. "I want music that will inspire the actors and keep them moving."

Harpsichord music and early opera were popular in France during the time of the play, but Reid didn't think that music fit her young cast, the oldest of whom is about 37.

"So I went with a nontraditional soundtrack: French pop music of the '60s, '70s and '80s, some modern French music and a lot of guitar," she said.

She chose the colors reflected in Robyn Schlegel's costumes and Valerie Rios-Giermakowski's set designs from hues prevalent in 17th-century French paintings.

"They are cold blues, maroons, earth tones, creams and golds," Reid said. "When you combine that with (Andrew McHarney's) lighting, you have an environment."

Rostand's story of a man courageous in everything but love is familiar to contemporary audiences by way of movie versions starring Jos‚ Ferrer (1950), Gerard Depardieu (1990), and, in the 1987 film "Roxanne," a contemporary revamping of the story starring Steve Martin.

Cyrano, portrayed by Benjamin Liberman in the ALT production, is a gallant French officer of the guard, a man of a poetic soul and a lion's heart, a man with a wit as sharp as the blade he wields so skillfully.

But his love for his beautiful cousin and dear friend, Roxane (Tawni Waters), is thwarted by his own big nose, which he feels is so grotesque that she would reject him if he told her how he feels.

"This is not a melodrama," Reid said. "It is a human story about people who have known each other since childhood and are perfectly suited to each other but miss each other.

"A lot of people who see the play can relate to it. Many of us see what is there for us and don't take it because of insecurity, because we have made a decision for someone else without asking."

Instead of pursuing his own passion for Roxane, Cyrano helps a young cadet of the guard, Christian (Ryan Clark), win the girl's heart by feeding the young man words of love the cadet could never have imagined for himself.

It ends badly for all concerned, but in between there's lots of sword fighting and even some humor.

"There is humor that is very in your face and humor that is very subtle," Reid said. "It is not directed as high comedy or a farce, but as life comedy."

Humor helps make the characters more accessible.

"And if we do not play the vulnerable sides of these characters, the audience will not plug into them emotionally," Reid said.

Arnold Brown choreographed the rousing fight scenes peppered through the five-act, two-hour production.

"There are three sword-fighting scenes, counting a battle scene," Reid said. "Only two characters — Christian and Roxane — do not pick up a sword."

Because this play without swords is like Cyrano without his nose.

There just wouldn't be much point to it.