Theatre / Les Liaisons Dangereuses, by Christopher Hampton, directed by Lainie Hart. At Canberra Rep Theatre until May 9. Reviewed by GRACE CASSIDY.
In 1780s France, three women gather to play a game of cards. Their gowns are sumptuous. The room is richly furnished. The stakes? Other people’s lives.
For the next two weeks, Canberra Rep Theatre is treating audiences to a tale that has been told and retold for more than two centuries. Beginning its life as a novel published just a few short years before the French Revolution, Les Liaisons Dangereuses was and still is, a scathing indictment of the upper class. Today, it’s seamlessly brought to life by director Lainie Hart and playwright Christopher Hampton’s twisted yet gripping script.
The tale begins in a French drawing room, when two aristocrats – a delightfully wicked Marquise de Merteuil (Jordan Best) and a slimy Vicomte de Valmont (Jim Adamik) – kick off a dangerous game of seduction. Set to a backdrop of flamboyance and excess, the conniving pair relish in callously manipulating the people around them, at times inflicting real, lasting harm. Watching them get away with it makes for disturbing viewing, but as their transgressions continue to grow in magnitude, as do the impending (and rather satisfying) consequences.
While Valmont’s actions, in particular, are repulsive, there’s something viciously fun about watching Merteuil play the puppet master. Jordan Best shines in the role of the villain, sauntering across the stage in a vivid red gown; gleeful at the chaos of her plans unfolding and utterly disdainful of weakness.
Yanina Clifton, who plays a character that’s almost the polar opposite, delivers a similarly standout performance. Her turn as Tourvel is captivating, crafting an emotionally vulnerable portrayal of a morally-grounded young woman who finds herself gradually worn down by Valmont’s relentless attempts at seduction. Tourvel is just one of several casualties in Valmont and Merteuil’s wicked schemes.
The show casts the idle rich in a dim light, portraying aristocrats as bored, entitled and almost sociopathic in their willingness to exploit others. That is, perhaps, why the story continues to be revisited.
While Les Liaisons Dangereuses began as an epistolary novel, published during the rising class tensions of 18th century France, Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of the story debuted in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1985, when Britain was gripped by the Thatcher administration. Now it’s back, once again painting an unflattering portrait of the upper class as a group who view others as playthings and life as a game to be won.
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