THIS was a performance that will go down in the annals as the night the conquering hero made his return.

No more silly talk of being an airline pilot and jetting about the world in his pilot’s uniform. No, this was Robert Parker as he was always meant to be – the swashbuckling hero, all flashing swords and executing enough leaps to make Errol Flynn greener than Robin Hood’s tights.

David Bintley’s epic account of the 17th century soldier of fortune was created purely for Parker and the great choreographer must have breathed a sign of relief when the Hull hurricane blew back into the BRB fold.

For make no mistake, this piece grabs you by the scruff of your ruff right from the start - fight director Malcolm Ranson brings out the very best in our boy as he takes on rival Valvert, played with cavalier aplomb by Valentin Olovyannikov.

The swordplay, a mixture of comic turns, farce and an element of mime that would have won Max Wall’s approval, sets the ballet off to a cracking pace. Surely he will win the heart of his own true love without further ado, but Elisha Willis’s Roxane has her sights set on Christian, played with unrelenting energy by Iain Mackay.

He was later to amaze everyone with his pas des deux with the demure Willis, the number of lifts seemingly exceeding even Bintley’s regulation three hundred per performance.

However, no matter how well Mackay soared across the boards, the night belonged to the Midland’s own Billy Elliott, the northern lad that seems to have magic in his shoes.

Parker’s duet work and pas des deux exhibited a pathos that penetrated the very souls of all who were lucky to witness a real master working at his craft, and Willis herself seems to have not only risen to the occasion, but also far above all reasonable expectation at times.

And underpinning all this poetry in motion was the evocative music of Carl Davis, his score matching each nuance of every step.

Cyrano marks a milestone for BRB inasmuch that this was the night the prodigal son truly made his triumphant return. And the roar of the crowd that provoked encore after encore was all the proof you needed to know that a new chapter has now begun.

Cyrano runs at the Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday and is an absolute must-see. So grab your rapier, plumed hat and doublet… and ride into Brum without further delay to see our magnificent musketeer.