Shariq’s Département

Part of the problem the beautifully executed and sombre production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway faces is that the story has become so familiar.  The movie version with Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer and John Malkovich became a classic with Oscar buzz.  The story was replayed in various forms, such as the Reese Witherspoon movie Cruel Intentions.  So, excited though I was to sit through this production, it felt like I was watching a familiar Shakespeare play - you knew what was going to happen, which robbed the play of much excitement.

The most noteworthy part of the production is Ben Daniels’ star turn as the morally corrupt Vicomte de Valmont.  Daniels, who I remember as the nerdy middle-aged lover in the British movie Beautiful Thing, manages to be be convincingly cruel, sexy, charming all at the same time.  He also successfully brings about a metamorphosis in the character by the end of the play - we truly believe, watching him, that he has been taught a lesson about the importance of morality and love in life.  He is a marked improvement on John Malkovich, who, in the movie version, seemed icky and slimy enough that you did not care much what happened to him. This allowed Glenn Close to dominate the movie version.

Unfortunately for Laura Linney, who I love, but is seriously miscast as the conniving Marquise de Merteuil (played by Glenn Close in the movie), Daniels is the more interesting and compelling character in this production.  No matter how hard she tries to be nasty, Linney’s smile, which is meant to be artifice, actually comes across sometimes as hidden goodness.  We, the audience, just do not believe she is as nasty as her actions show.  And this robs the show of some of its dramatic tension, moving us to pathos instead.  This tone of pathos is reinforced by mournful, choral singing to mark the change in scenes.  The singing, while beautiful, throws a cover of melancholy over the proceedings. 

Ben Daniels’ performance and Mamie Gummer’s (Meryl Streep’s daughter’s) comic timing are reasons to see this show.  But, it can drag at times, as we do not seem to care much for the other characters.