Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Written By Christopher Hampton, Directed by Marianne Elliott.
The goal of National Theatre Live is to make theatre more accessible world wide. Who is the Target audience? Anyone willing and wanting to take advantage of watching these professional plays filmed for you played in select cinemas.
The reasons I wanted to go:
- To check off the one thing to do that week.
- Go to the movies, I attended the Pickford and the venue was very nice and clean. The employees were friendly and welcoming.
- Watch Poldark in a Play
Aidan Turner known for starring as Poldark in PBS Poldark and most recently as Declan O’Hare in Hulus Rivals (oh and Lord of the Rings) has been the new small obsession of mine. I enjoy his connection to his characters and understanding that he has when portraying his characters.
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Turner cast as the Vicomte de Valmont was very different than the roles I am more familiar with him. The Vicomte is cocky, insincere, a person of power who enjoys playing games with society to build his reputation. Turner plays against his counter part Lesley Manville cast as Marquise de Merteuil who's objective rivals the Vicomte own reputation. Manville Character the Marquise plays out many games and challenges against the Vicomte, acting out revenge and lies creating drama and unraveling everyone's secrets for her own gain.
Lets get the worst part out of the way, the camera work. Productions utilize the whole stage with lighting, sets and the cast giving the audience an opportunity to explore the whole stage. There is always something to look at and find on stage, characters flirting in the background, ensemble members moving the stage or an onstage costume change. Personally when I watch a filmed live performance of anything I do not want cuts back a forth. I want to watch it in its entirely. The camera should not get to decide what the audience gets to take away from the audience. I will allow medium shots and the occasional close on a monologue but when there are dance sequences or quick back and forth dialogue it personally it made it hard to focus.
When we first meet the character Cécile de Volanges played by Hannah van der Westhuysen who is dressed in white with ribbons sewn into her corsets creating this look similar to bondage and symbolizing that she is the new fresh face of society that with soon break free and find her sexuality. While she befriends the Marquise her wardrobes slowly is introduced with small accents of red that match Manvilles own red she wears throughout the play. In the finale we see the characters swap their colors on their wardrobe. Manville in mainly white alluding to her age, her being cast out of society and being ruined by the letters. The Marquise does not have power in society. Cecile now in a full length red dress proving through her dialogue she has taken over, she is in power now, Cecile leads and the play ends the way it begins the dance and the woman in society picking the next innocent to play with. The wardrobe designer Natalie Roar did an excellent job at keeping the wardrobe simple and creating an understanding at who each character was and slowly who they will become.
Rosanna Vize was the set designer who did a great job creating a world that felt attracting but also a little unsettling. The first set the audiences sees are mirrors that create a walls on stage. The mirrors surrounding the stage attract and reflect the truth and lies being told by the characters. Creating the narrative that these character are being surrounded by lies they tell but the truth is found in your reflection. There is also a huge mural hung above the mirrors and along with the set walls that are moved through out the play that create the feeling that the world is closing in on the characters. Especially with the Vicomte during a choregraphed dance and scene change in Act 2. When the lies are catching up to him and he does not know what the truth is anymore to him. Does he really love Madame de Tourvel played by Monica Barbaro or does he remain loyal to Marquise de Merteuil.
The Choreography was beautifully done by Tom Jackson Greaves who created dance sequences through out the play. The sequences flowed and added to the world creating intimacy, desire and longing. Credit to Barbaro who when watching her dance I thought she real strength on stage through her movement and discovered after watching an interview on the National Theatre Live Youtube video is actually a trained dancer.
Overall I am upset because I was not there live, being able to be in the actual audience and experience it at the same time as the audience and cast create this moment that can not be shared again until the next moment the lights go dim and the show begins. I am so glad there is an opportunity to watch the professional productions with such an elite cast. This was a fantastic performance that was able to address difficult themes e.g gender and sex politics, society norms and utilized the simplicity of the set, costume and choreography to execute the story.
