Dangerous Directions with Dangerous Liaisons

Dangerous Liaisons
Saturday, September 13, 2008, 8:30pm performance.

Dangerous Liaisons a Christopher Hampton play adapted from the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos from the 18th-century, now playing at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye.

I’ve seen the award-winning film many times since it first came out 20 years ago starring and just saw for the umpteenth time Cruel Intentions a more ‘modern take’ on the same themes of deceit versus trust and unrequited love connections. I was pumped up to see this classic tale on stage as a piece promoted as ‘First Class’ theatre.

I was prepared for the long drawn out story to unfold and anxiously awaited for a detailed tribute to the English language to be delivered by the actors. The play gets right to the point very quickly as we learn about the lead characters being portrayed in a rapid run down of who is doing who, where, when and why…

The first alarm goes off immediately as we try to figure out when the story is taking place due to the ambiguity of the period presented… Never mind “What time is it?” or What year is it? but What Century is it? With the wide array of accents used by the actors that range from some sort of Québecois French, to fake British and Eastern European, we’re not sure where these folks hail from. We know we’re in France because of the geographic references made from the text. Then there are the contrasting costumes the women wear, from over the top high fashion accents to a very bland frocks, to the extreme opposite futuristic chrome cheek worn by the men, we get no clue as to the period. All this mélange with copious amounts of antique furniture strewn about and piled in a heap at the side of the stage reminisant of the barricade in Les Miss only adds to the distraction and confusion on stage.

The Director has camouflaged the purity of the text with so many accents in the blocking, attempting to be even more clever with each addition than his last trick throughout the Play. This is evidenced by the use of the absurdist choreography and camp humor with props like dildos popping out of one actors underwear, extra large of course, all the while trying to be sexy and sensual yet never committing and actually following through. It could have been a women’s breast, or a rear view, or the full-monty, the characters are never truly 'revealed', nothing but a facade of sensuality portraying sexuality as if it were served up in one of the fake wine glasses used on stage. So much time and energy is spent not going there, either for modesty sake, or is it due to the budget constraints of casting less experience actors that prevents them from going all the way... (One ensemble actor even hesitates and stops dressing the lead when he approaches the groin area while pulling on some stockings.) The overall complete lack of chemistry between the actors leaves us questioning the true sexual orientations of the characters.

Then what is with the never-ending piece of sheet fabric that the actors don’t seem to be able to get away from without using it in some elaborate and ‘representative’ fashion? It contributes to lengthening the two and half hour running time and it serves to distract and frustrate the audience as well as the even the actors. The great text continues to play second fiddle to all the props, and action, along with an annoying background sound track that makes for a very messy second act.

Brett Christopher, delivers his abundant text with good diction, enunciation, elocution, and projection, however this is where the focus of his performance remains as he is so busy keeping busy with too much action blocked in that it is extremely distracting, and does not allow for any real emotion to come through in the delivery of the text. What could have been, often comes across as trite and unfeeling. We can almost feel his frustration, however misplaced in act two, not as a character portrayal but as an actor anxiously trying to get to the end of the play.

However Yannick Larivée's mirrored-ballroom stage design is very inspiring and put to good use throughout, and the lighting by Spike Lynn is also great. It is the least we should expect
from these ‘First Class’ productions.

There are a couple of performances in secondary roles worth noting. Moira Wylie, as Madame de Rosemonde, aunt of Valmont, who is entertaining to watch; And although she has no lines, ensemble actress Kristina Sandev, really gets into the moment either as a maid or as a seductress doing everything she can physically to help the story along. Finally, Tara Nicodemo, as Madame de Volanges, is well cast in her role. On the other hand the least enjoyable most miss-directed performances are those portrayed by Gemma James-Smith who plays Cécile de Volanges as a dimwitted ‘virgin/slut’ and Jake Epstein the Le Chevalier Danceny as a nerd/stud. Both come across as complete numskulls, I want to say idiots but that insults the idiots who have feelings too, and it is painfully obvious that these two characters are being portrayed as having none.

If you don’t know the plot then opt out to either read the book or rent the movie; You’ll be better off with either choice. Seeing this production is not the best option to discover this great story if it is going to be your first introduction to it.

Playing at Segal Center
5170 ch. de la Côte Ste Catherine
September 7 to 28, 2008
www.segalcentre.org 514 739-7944