The Oxford drama scene has been abuzz for weeks with talk about The Oxford Playhouse’s upcoming run of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. A production first staged back in 1985 by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and even later put to film in 1988, Clarendon Productions were challenged with putting their own spin on this classic piece. Reading the programme before the play’s commencement, I was promised ‘a new lens at the opulent and savage world of pre-revolutionary France…audiences will gain an intimate glimpse into the characters’ subconscious as they navigate the bad behaviour of high society’. Moreover, with a cast and crew of your typical OUDS celebrities, and with the promise of plenty of sex and scandals it is safe to say people were excited to see what the production would bring.
The most distinctive thing about this production was its use of projections and technology. A must in most new theatre in London right now (see Tom Holland’s Romeo and Juliet, Kirkwood’s Human Body, Tenant’s Macbeth etc etc.), theatre is becoming a new form of live cinema. Lucas Angeli (Director) clearly recognised this and certainly ran with it. It went beyond anything I’ve seen a student production accomplish before, with a large projection screen across the back and multiple large live-streaming cameras dotted about the stage. Angeli even dared to go beyond the realms of the stage itself, taking cameras into backstage dressing rooms and livestreaming scenes from there. Something I’ve seen only done before in the above-referenced Romeo and Juliet with Tom Holland earlier this year, this technique takes you beyond the space of the stage, widening out the theatrical world we, as an audience, are now a part of. For such a large feat it was done pretty seamlessly. Apart from the occasional audio and streaming delays – the action on the screen sometimes out of sync with the live version on stage – the choice was risky but paid off. My only other critique would be that the cameras were bulky and sometimes seemed to dominate the stage, detracting from the live action occurring slightly. This seemed to be the main (and albeit only) critique discussed amongst audience members at the play’s close.
With some OUDS BNOCs taking the stage, I went in expecting high-quality acting, and safe to say my expectations were not only met but superseded. Susie Weidmann as Merteuil had me gripped from the beginning. Her acting was both understated and unnerving, amplifying her character’s manipulative persona by creating this hard front that we only occasionally are able to see beyond. A memorable moment was a conversation in the middle of the first half, between Merteuil and Valmont, where she delves into the restrictions of being a woman in a patriarchal society, and how her manipulative behaviour stems from this need to take back control of her own life. Here, we see a glimpse past the stoicism and see a flash of vulnerability before she snaps to being cold again once more. Most evocative was Susie’s emotive performance in the final scene. With a tear-stricken face and expression devoid of hope she stares down the camera lens, a zoomed-in version of her face splayed across the back of the stage. She’s faced with her back to us, but through the screen, I almost felt she was staring right at me.
Nic Rackow also amazed as Valmont, nailing both the character’s casually cocky demeanour, whilst also being able to exhibit the deeper, internal conflict of passions Valmont experiences. We see him bend people to his will, bareface lie to his family and friends, and yet we see him crumble when his actions finally catch up to him in the end. His death scene near the end of the play was gripping and upsetting. You gasp aloud when Danceny (Vasca Faria) thrusts his fencing sword right into Valmont’s side. Despite being a character you are told to hate throughout, you almost empathise with him in his last moments. This was a scene where I think the use of the projections did truly assist with our understanding of the character’s inner world. Valmont’s dying face projected across the screen made it impossible for you to look away, release only coming as he finally took his last breath. The relationship between Valmont and Merteuil is an essential element to this play’s success and Susie and Nic couldn’t have been a more compatible pair. You simultaneously hated and loved them, respected and despised them – just as I expect Hampton intended us to.
Though Susie and Nic stole the play for me, the other actors in this production also held their own. Both Alice Wyles as Tourvel and Catherine Clare as Cecile nailed the perfect portrayal of the embodiment of stereotypical female naivety. Both channelling a certain softness and vulnerability that could only make you feel for them in the wake of their strife. Both women fall victim to Valmont and his manipulations, Tourvel even sacrificing her stability as a married woman for the sake of indulging in her love with Valmont – a love that inevitably (spoiler alert) kills her in the end.
As well as the acting, I have to commend all of the musicians in this production. The implementation of a live orchestra added undeniable gravitas. I was shocked to find that the score was all original as it seemed so perfectly in sync with the original script – I can only thank Lou Newton for her genius. It also fit in well with the moments of comic relief – that the play was certainly full of – which only added to the almost farcical nature of it all.
All in all, it’s not one to be missed. A semi-lengthy production with a nearly 2-and-a-half-hour run, the time simply flew by for me. With all the twists and turns you can’t help but get sucked into the action happening on stage. You will laugh, you will sigh, and you will squirm. And if you have never seen live cinema in theatre this is a perfect introduction to what is seemingly becoming the future of theatrical productions. If you can get your hands on a last-minute ticket, do so, you won’t regret it.