Image: ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Janet McTeer is magnificent as the Marquise de Merteuil in this production of Liaison Dangereuses from National Theatre Live, directed by Josie Rourke. McTeer uses her eyes, her voice and her height to create a sense of controlled power that’s thrilling. Dominic West as the Vicomte de Valmont does a fine turn but he fades next to the all-powerful McTeer, he’s too languidly aristocratic to start with and there’s glibness to his performance which would be just right in a production of an Oscar Wilde play. Unfortunately you can’t help but compare his Valmont to that of John Malkovich in the 1998 film, a performance oozing an evil yet emotionally complex je ne sais quoi which has come to define the role. West’s is a more pedestrian Valmont, he’s more of a rake, less mysterious. His best moments here are when he rages at Merteuil in that glorious turning-point scene which ends with her declaration of ‘war!’
McTeer has long been a favourite of ArtsHub, we remember her playing Vita Sackville-West in the TV series Portrait of a Marriage in the early 90s; she was splendid then. An interview with director Josie Rourke and playwright Christopher Hampton during the interval of this production offers a few comic moments, especially when Hampton compares the decadent era of the play’s setting to our own; we may be as blithely ignorant of what lies ahead as his characters.
The costumes are especially ravishing, and the set, lit by candlelight from five chandeliers, creates a fading aura on stage, referencing the last few years of aristocratic privilege. For anyone who might not know, the play is a witty and richly dramatic 1985 adaptation by Christopher Hampton of a novel written in 1782 by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, someone who’d clearly thought about the plight of women in society, or at least those of the upper orders, who were very soon to meet their doom in the French Revolution. The two leads are manipulative sexual predators, cynical and power hungry and, in the case of Merteuil, set on revenge. One of the most compelling scenes has her ranting of the difficulties of surviving as a female in a world at war with women, when sexuality is all one has in one’s arsenal.
Elaine Cassidy as Madame de Tourvel is intense and fragile; her final undoing is painful to watch. A nice turn by Theo Barklem-Biggs as Valmont’s servant Azolan with a sense of the dramatic and comic opportunity and a touching loyalty. Morfydd Clark as Cecile de Volange didn’t quite work for me; she was lacking the air of utter innocence and ignorance needed to contrast with Valmont’s manipulative seduction of her. Veteran UK actor Una Stubbs appears as a resigned and dignified Madame de Rosemonde, Valmont’s aunt.
McTeer towers in desolation over the final scene, her eyes glaring with grief; an unforgettable image.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Liaisons Dangereuses: National Theatre Live
Starring: Dominic West, Janet McTeer, Elaine Cassidy, Morfydd Clark, Adjoa Andoh, Edward Holcroft, Jennifer Saayeng, Una Stubbs
Playwright: Christopher Hampton
Director: Josie Rourke
Set & costume designer: Tom ScuttL
Presented by Donmar Warehouse
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