Les Liaisons Dangereuses
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Cititour.com Review
The wax candles above the stage at the Booth Theatre may be providing the illumination, but the fire is down below, where Tony Award winners Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber are generating the sexual, seductive sparks that make Josie Rourke’s new production of Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisions Dangereuses” so extremely compelling. What initially seemed to me to be a less-than-necessary revival – this is the show’s third Broadway outing, plus there are two major film versions -- turns out to be required viewing for serious theatergoers.
The regal McTeer, exquisitely costumed by Tom Scutt (also responsible for the minimalist, effective set), is more delicious than an éclair as the perpetually scheming 18th-century French aristocrat, La Marquise de Merteuil. Delivering a quip or sting with the aim of an Olympic archer or concealing her sneer beneath a crocodile smile, McTeer is never less than masterful.
She’s also got a character to play who resonates just as strongly in 2016 as it did in 1782 (when the original novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos was first published) – a woman who has not only learned how to survive in a man’s world, but beat them at their own games. The Marquise is a proto-feminist, constantly reminding the women around her, like Madame de Volanges (a fine Ora Jones) and her innocent-but-easily-corruptible teen daughter Cecile (a giddy Elena Kampouris), how and why to wield whatever power society affords them.
Yet, despite her sometimes icy exterior, there is an ever-beating heart –one that pines for her sometimes-lover and constant rival in treachery, Le Vicomte de Valmont. Schreiber brings an utterly different dimension to this role than most of his predecessors. Yes, he’s still a smooth talker, although Hampton’s sinuous dialogue doesn’t always trip off his tongue, but Schreiber’s rare combination of machismo and vulnerability (not to mention his good looks and blazing charisma) make it easy to understand not only Merteuil’s near-fatal attraction to him, but his ability to get any woman he wants.
The object of desire here, first targeted out of mere challenge, is Madame de Tourvel (the superb Birgitte Hjort Sorensen), a deeply religious married woman staying in the country with Valmont’s sweet-natured aunt Madame de Rosemonde (a welcome Mary Beth Peil). That this pair of unlikely lovers eventually succumbs to their real feelings is perhaps the play’s most shocking element. Which is why the second-act scene in which Valmont breaks off the affair to try to win back Merteuil is so heart-stopping, as Schreiber performs Valmont’s almost robotic brush-off with striking brilliance.
Admittedly, audiences unfamiliar with the material (and apparently they do exist) may find all the twists and turns of Hampton’s intricate plot a tad hard to follow. But if they pay attention, the rewards are numerous, not the least of which is a greater understanding of the depths – and dangers -- of passion and revenge.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://liaisonsbroadway.com
Cast
Janet McTeer, Liev Schreiber, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Raffi Barsoumian, Ora Jones, Elena Kampouris, Katrina Cunningham, Josh Salt, Joy Franz, David Patterson, Laura Sudduth, Mary Beth Peil
Open/Close Dates
Opening 10/30/2016
Closing 1/22/2017
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 10/8/2016
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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