Les Liaisons Dangereuses NYC Reviews and Tickets

"I’ve seen excellent productions of 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' including five movies. This is not one of them...Christopher Hampton’s elegant prose is not well served by a cast that either rushes through the dialogue or swallows it like candy from the concession stand. Both stars seem handcuffed by their roles...The rest of the cast, under Josie Rourke’s uneven direction, is sorely lacking in gusto. They’re not physical, sexy, or powerful enough...A big disappointment."
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"Though a whiff of pleasurable malice is supposed to perfume this story of havoc-wreaking romantic duelists, joy is nowhere to be located in director Josie Rourke’s soporific production. Neither McTeer nor Schreiber is particularly well suited to the role of nonpareil seducer...Both the combat and the play itself come across as excessively artificial, an impression reinforced by Rourke’s fussy and fuzzy directorial choices."
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"It is both miscast and misdirected. Also — to be fair to director Josie Rourke and all involved here — time also has not been kind to a play that, to be frank, centers on a scene that now feels too much like the sexual abuse of a minor...This plodding, dull production does not seem to understand the pitfalls of that particular scene, and thus does not do enough to remediate those concerns...The major problem is Liev Schreiber."
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"Who’d have thought that the most provocative battle of the sexes on Broadway this year would be a 31-year-old play based on an 18th-century French novel?...Sexual intrigue among aristocrats may seem quaint. But director Josie Rourke’s staging, fueled by the ferocious talents of Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber, proves this is hardly the case...The director extracts witty, erotically charged and deeply moving performances, and not just from the two leads."
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"The new revival of Hampton’s crowd-pleasing erotic thriller is puzzling enough to fall into the category of 'what were they thinking?'...Director Josie Rourke has managed to take the fun and suspense out of this well-made drama through bad casting and design choices, leaving a disjointed, dull and dragging production...Schreiber’s Valmont is disengaged and stiff instead of smooth and sexy...McTeer gives an authoritative performance, but she has zero chemistry with Schreiber."
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"Rourke’s stylistically evocative staging portends the waning days of the French aristocracy. And with an excellent cast it certainly looks and sounds just right. But it’s marred somewhat by a less than climactic ending. What should be a cathartic battle royale fails to ignite sufficient heat. And instead of a tragedy we get a lukewarm finale. Fortunately, there’s McTeer and Schreiber in the leads. For the bulk of the drama, it’s great entertainment watching these unparalleled actors."
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"Only intermittently compelling...With a bold design concept and acidly cynical staging, director Josie Rourke convincingly argues that this is the perfect time for a play about the twilight gavotte of a rotten aristocracy. It leaves us wishing that the cast could keep up with the tempo...In bringing so many artfully executed ideas to the design, Rourke has unfortunately neglected some of the basics that make this drama endurable. The performances range from stilted to hypernaturalistic."
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"McTeer and Schreiber star in a well-acted and visually gorgeous production...Rourke's production plays down such humor, going for a cold, emotionally stark feel that is quite captivating. McTeer's Merteuil is brilliantly manipulative, and while she lavishly embraces Hampton's elevated language, her silences can be overwhelming. Schreiber's Valmont is cool and understated, a man who knows his devastatingly manly good looks will accomplish more than his wit."
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