7-20-07
Stripped Down Liaisons Not Dangerous
Sean Piereman, Joel Gross and Jacqueline Grandt in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Actors Workshop Theatre
Les Liaisons Dangereuses is one of those plays that shows up more commonly in community theatres than in small professional theatres. Paradoxically, many amateur theatres have lots of funding and no mandate to pay their actors even the small wages seen in non-Equity theatre. As a result, they can afford the elaborate costuming and large cast that mark Christopher Hampton’s script, and we rarely get to see this story of sexcapades, revenge and unfashionable emotion in the intimate environs of a small theatre like Actor’s Workshop.
But Michael Colucci clearly wanted to produce Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the small environs of his theatre so, rather than make a low budget attempt at the grandeur the script traditionally requires, he wisely chose to adapt a directorial vision that made such excesses unnecessary.
Instead of the sumptuous costumes of the eighteenth century, we have costumes that mainly suggest modern evening wear. Instead of any kind of identifiable locale, we have a set consisting of grey blocks and hanging fabric.
There’s nothing wrong with such an approach, although it provides less of a visual treat than the normal production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses would. However, Hampton’s language remains, as well as his intricate plot, which leaves, many would say, quite enough for getting on with.
And, up to a point, those elements are sufficient. Colucci’s cast is young—in experience if not in age—but they handle Hampton’s text well. C. Sean Piereman in particular, as the seductor-in-chief Valmont, manages a smug world-weariness that he couples with the elevated language. But the conceptual approach runs hard upon some shoals as the evening goes along.
Colucci lists the setting as “Paris, mid-1780s or anytime,” but removes any visual connection to the 18th century. Again, this is a reasonable choice, but the musical selections by his sound designers, Danielle Hamilton and J. Scholtes, all come from that period. Instead of accepting the performance style, we are instead constantly reminded of the lack of specificity by this one element’s extreme specificity. The actors seem to feel this uneasy juxtaposition as well. Many of them adopt a sort of period-movement-lite that suggests they wish they were wearing period costumes, even though they aren’t.
Despite the simple set, each of the five or six blocks must be moved during each scene change, so Colucci has staged these transitions to suggest formal dance—another reasonable choice. But these shadowy moments don’t really go far enough. There’s just enough dance to remind us how much there isn’t and the conceit merely lengthens the evening, which clocks in at over two and a half hours.
Perhaps in the hands of a more accomplished cast, a stripped-down take on this script would bring a new appreciation for the play’s universality. But in the hands of actors who are competent, surely, but not transcendent, Colucci’s concept draws attention to itself rather than offering a new window on a popular work.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Actor’s Workshop Theatre
Kerry Reid, Tribune—“Christopher Hampton’s stage adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses has its charms, but it lacks sufficient philosophical heft to sustain its rather repetitious themes. Michael Colucci’s staging for Actors Workshop Theatre has many delightful moments, but the overall arc of the piece doesn’t build to the emotional climax demanded—neither Jacqueline Grandt’s reptilian Merteuil nor C. Sean Piereman’s puckish Valmont feel fully invested in their love-hate rivalry with one another. Still, there are several laugh-out-loud moments and a refreshing sparseness to the physical staging that allows the filigreed language of the text to take center stage.”
Tony Adler, Reader—“This production is a kind of masterpiece of almost goodness. There are loads of smart choices taken one step too far, rafts of potentially delicious moments marred by clumsy or amateurish execution. Based on the 18th-century novel, Christopher Hampton’s shrewd play chronicles two French aristocrats’ downward slide from mere hedonism to bottomless spiritual depravity. But too many of the cast drain off the passion—and without that, little their characters do makes sense.”
Kris Vire, Time Out—“Colucci’s production strips away the usual rococo ruffles, going ‘period-neutral’ with a blank gray set and the cast in black and white cocktail attire. This shouldn’t be a problem in theory, but we sense that Hampton’s heightened dialogue really calls for period opulence. The modern dress and drab environment seem to make Hampton’s language, and the cast’s declamatory delivery of it, fall flat. Piereman, as Valmont, fails to pinpoint the moment when his fake pursuit of Tourvel becomes real (he’s equally artificial before and after the fact), and Colucci’s trite, tacked-on ending tableau cheapens the whole experience.”
Jerry Springer – the Opera, Bailiwick Repertory
Chris Jones, Tribune—“Regular attendees of this typically low-budget theater will be blown away by the size and quality of the cast, the presence of a full band and the production values. Better yet, they’ll be impressed by Gary Powell’s musical direction and director David Zak’s staging, which manages to surround the audience with a musical attack on all that Springer represents. Thus we are indicted for his popularity, which surely is what the authors would have wanted for a production in Springer’s hometown.”
Albert Williams, Reader—“The controversial British hit finally receives its U.S. premiere in a terrific non-Equity production. Intrigued by why anyone would watch Jerry Springer’s sleazy show, much less appear on it, composer Richard Thomas and librettist Stewart Lee suggest that its on-air encounters reflect the eternal struggle between salvation and damnation. Sacrilegious, crude, and obscene, the musical is also thought provoking, often hilarious, and beautifully performed.”
Christopher Piatt, Time Out—“One of the tricks of this successful production is the identity of the producing organization. With the help of game choreographer Brenda Didier and commanding musical direction from Gary Powell, the ensemble of 29 looks and sounds dynamite. But it’s no secret that Bailiwick often veers deliberately toward the seedy in its programming, often functioning as a low-rent gay burlesque house… Which is not to say Zak’s production is tacky. More pointedly, it’s only tacky when called for. But it’s the Fashion Bug–casual look of the choral studio audience that demonstrates a real sense of occasion.”
Lookingglass Alice, Lookingglass Theatre
Chris Jones, Tribune—“David Catlin’s free-wheeling, circus-loving, theatrical riff on Lewis Carroll’s classic yarns—previously produced at Lookingglass in 2005 to much-deserved success—has an uncommonly strong impact on an audience, especially the core audience of tween girls. That’s partly because Catlin has fashioned an empowered, thoroughly modern girl from Carroll’s Victorian creation, while retaining just the right sense of period whimsy and childlike innocence. And although the play has enough visual flourish and audience interaction to satisfy even the squirmiest young person, Catlin also has fashioned a show that a parent cannot help but love.”
Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times—“Whether you move backward or forward in time, possess answers to life’s nonsensical philosophical questions or not, or have kids in tow (or just yourself), failure to catch a performance of Lookingglass Alice means missing a rare chance for summer fun. In fact, the best short vacation you can plan is a trip down the shape-shifting, time-warping, mind-altering rabbit hole so memorably conjured by writer Lewis Carroll (a k a Charles Dodgson) for his favorite young muse, Alice Liddell.”
Laura Molzahn, Reader—“This is a wild ride in more ways than one. Adapter-director David Catlin takes full advantage of poetic license, ranging freely through both ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ Like the original 2005 production, this one features lots of rough-and-tumble physical comedy and well-executed aerial feats. The show is perfect for adults and kids alike, both cerebral and freewheeling.”
Christopher Piatt, Time Out—“After several months on the road, the show has more stickers on its trunk but also a few bags under its eyes. At the performance we caught, a few performers missed catches (of props, not people). Yet its leading lady is still fresh as the first day she fell down the hole. After seeing the show a second time, it’s difficult to imagine Lauren Hirte and Lookingglass Alice without each other. Resembling the lost, likable Olsen triplet, Hirte looks 10, soars through the sky like a world-class aerialist and somehow still appears genuinely surprised with each new character she meets. Like the show she’s in, Hirte is more Hayley Mills than Grace Slick.”
Catey Sullivan, Windy City—“Also directing the piece for the Lookingglass Theatre, Catlin creates a place where slapstick meets aerial ballet meets metaphysics meets the grandly vexing existential conundrums of life in the millennium that could be our last. Here, garrulous caterpillars and melancholic ova wax philosophic in jabberwockese while oversized hedgehogs shriek at croquet and giantesses set sail in umbrellas through tempests of tears.”
Siskel and Ebert Save Chicago, Factory Theatre
Chris Jones, Tribune—“It’s a juicy setup. If only the extraction machine had more wit and craft. Much in Eric Thomas Roach’s script is too obvious. And much doesn’t go deep enough. And although Scott Pasko and Chas (yes, Chas) Vrba are decent as Siskel and Ebert, Blackwell’s Oprah is a long way from home. Scott OKen’s staging moves only in fits. And the impersonations are uneven, although Ernie Deak does a stellar Dr. Phil. In its best moments, the show evokes those great early Defiant Theatre movie parodies. And for those who like comedy loose and local, there are some good laughs. But the show never matches Mike Tutaj’s hilarious fake Bond movie at the start, which features the silhouette of a naked body creeping across the Marshall Field’s clock.”
Misha Davenport, Sun-Times—“First-time playwright Eric Thomas Roach hits all of the usual marks one expects from a Factory show. That is to say the plot is contrived, convoluted, efficient and yet bloated. The minute the plot becomes predictable, Roach adds another element that you never could have seen coming… For the most part, Roach treats each of the title subjects with reverence. Each actor is given a final monologue that is earnest and heartfelt. In an otherwise formulaic, oddball Factory outing, that’s the most wacky and unexpected thing of all.”
Albert Williams, Reader—“In Factory Theater’s slapdash spoof of James Bond flicks, Oprah Winfrey conspires with Richard Roeper and Mancow Muller to take over the city. Enter suave, sexy superagent Gene Siskel: he and pudgy sidekick Roger Ebert give Oprah’s scheme two thumbs down, defeating her with the aid of the Windy City Rollers. The high point of Eric Thomas Roach’s fitfully funny comedy is Mike Tutaj’s witty, well-crafted send-up of the Bond movies’ opening title sequences.”
Kris Vire, Time Out—“Roach is a first-time playwright, but he’s got a handle on the Factory style: giant cast, frantic pace, gleefully vulgar non sequiturs, side gags galore. If we didn’t know better, we’d assume it was cranked out by frequent playwright OKen himself. Unfortunately Roach shares OKen’s vices as well as his virtues—mainly, this thing is bloated as hell… But the good stuff is more than worth it. If the image of Oprah and Siskel playing slap-fight for the fate of the city doesn’t make you giggle, this isn’t your cup of tea; but then, the Factory’s more of a beer crowd anyway.”