LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES.

London

LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
by Christopher Hampton from the novel by Choderlos de Laclos

Playhouse Theatre
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Wed, Sat & 30 December 2.30pm No 7.30pm performance 24,31 December; no performance 25 December
Runs 2hr 50min One interval

TICKETS: 0870 060 6631
24 hr credit card bookings on ticketmaster 0870 534 4444
Review: Timothy Ramsden 15 December

As elegantly hollow as the society it portrays.Laclos' book, like another 18th century French novel, Diderot's The Nun, remains sexually shocking, and devastating social criticism. Diderot's anti-clerical tale was claustrophobically adapted for Glasgow Ctitizens' Circle Studio last spring. Christopher Hampton's Liaisons started out in the RSC's small spaces, but has gone on to much bigger things. A West End revival should crown its progress, but this one does nothing for the script. Tim Fywell's production leaves the question of why he, or anyone else involved, actually wanted to do the play.

The script needs skilful handling if the power struggles between Valmont and Mme de Merteuil, corrupt sophisticates who play out their sexual tension and antagonism by destroying innocence, is to make sense. Here, the cast relies on smirks and postures to paint, unsuccessfully, over the lack of sense. Several thumping mis-emphases stood out, suggesting unclear readings of situations. If this production were a railway line, track sections would be misaligned. It's not a safe way to travel through the action.

Actors seemed to be using a generalised glacial quality as substitute for specific sense. There's little threat sexual or psychological - in Jared Harris's vocally undifferentiated Valmont, while his partner in crimes, Merteuil, barely registers in the action the substratum sexual conflict gets spoken, but not revealed in depth of characterisation.

Even stage stalwarts like Dilys Laye and SarahWoodward seem unable to take their characters not central but still significant far. Emilia Fox tries well but in the vacuum of this production is often misled into near-melodramatic stereotyping of high emotion.

The ending finally reveals the hollowness that's pervaded the evening, one suggested all along by Robert-Innes Hopkins' generalised gold space topped by a range of chandeliers suggesting an aristo ghastly-good-taste lighting emporium As a last card is dealt on the eternal tables of the ancient regime, it's held aloft; lights brighten before a guillotine swish brings the blackout of death. Such open theatricality's fine, but it's not an approach that benefits the preceding script.

A sad dragging evening, alas. A first-rate revival, aware of the subtle character interplay, could have brightened the West End as the final major offering of 2003. Instead, we go out with a damp squib.

La Marquise de Merteuil: Polly Walker
Mme de Volanges: Sarah Woodward
Cecile Volanges: Olivia Llewellyn
Major Domo: Sean Oliver
Le Vicomte de Valmont: Jared Harris
Azolan: Jeremy Edwards
Mms de Rosemonde: Dilys Laye
La Presidente de Tourvel: Emilia Fox
Emilie: Jayne Ashbourne
Le Chevalier Danceny: Lauence Penry-Jones
Servants: Dan Blumenau, Helen Kirkpatrick, Jane Lamacraft, Audrey Palmer, Simon Tcherniak

Direcotr: Tim Fywell
Designer: Robert Innes-Hopkins
Lighting: David Hersey
Sound: John Leonard for Aura
Music: John Lunn
Movement: Jane Gibson
Fights: Malcolm Ranson

2003-12-18 10:31:49