By Michele Markarian
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, written by Christopher Hampton, from the novel by Pierre Choderins de Laclos. Directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. Presented by The Nora Theatre Company, Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge through July 1.
Lee Mikeska Gardner’s opening staging of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is intriguing. Ten men, similarly dressed in white blouses and dark pants – with variations on the neckline of the blouse – choose a trinket, one by one, with a gesture or expression that tells the audience something about the character they’ll be playing.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, based on the novel of the same name, is a sordid tale of two ex-lovers who want to stir up something interesting for themselves by agreeing to a contest of conquest. The aging Marquise de Marteuil (Greg Maraio) is upset because her lover, the Comte de Gercourt, has left her to marry young convent-bred Cecile (James Wechsler). She asks her old flame, the Vicomte de Valmont (Dan Whelton), to deflower Cecile in order to humiliate Gercourt. Valmont has bigger fish to fry; he would like to seduce the notoriously pious and faithfully married young La Presidente de Tourvel (Eddie Shields). The Marquise, thinking this an impossible task, agrees that if Valmont can produce written proof of his seduction, she will bed him once more.
It’s a complicated and often ribald tale, full of twists and turns and peppered with gems such as “A poor choice is less dangerous than the obvious choice”, “…regret is an essential component of happiness” and “Vanity and happiness are incompatible.” But it’s a misogynistic story, where men hold all the cards and women (with the exception of the Marquise, who is doing her best to hold her own) open their legs and hope for the best. Young Cecile is attacked by Valmont in a rape scene worthy of Luke and Laura in “General Hospital”; afterwards, she purrs like a kitten and wants more. And when the Marquise declares, “Women are obliged to be far more skillful than men”, I swear an involuntary thought popped into my head, DAMN STRAIGHT. Three good roles for women over 40 on this stage, and they’re all being played by men. This made me somewhat peevish throughout the rest of the production, which, lack of women aside, was not lacking in talent.
Maraio is both subtle and sharp as the manipulative Marquise. Her controlled façade shifts just a little when she realizes that Valmont has actually fallen in love with Tourvel. It’s a nuanced performance that works well against the masculine bravado of Whelton’s Valmont, who is left in the uncomfortable position of turning into the lovelorn man he is pretending to be. Dave Rich lends a credible dignity to Valmont’s aunt, Rosamonde, and James Wechsler gives Cecile a youthful girlishness. Maurice Emmanuel Parent brings energy to Azolan, Valmont’s valet. Elizabeth Rocha’s costumes are elegant and clever, and Janie E. Howland’s set is a suitable, versatile backdrop for the action.
Only in death can the characters be free from love, and after watching their machinations, it seems like the easy choice. The men playing women, while good, were a distraction, the likes of which I could find no justification, other than aesthetic (it’s an attractive cast). If the thought was to truly make the men feel the results of their game playing, then why not cast women in the male roles? See for yourself and let me know what you think. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.centralsquaretheater.org/
