Les Liaisons Dangereuses NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (295)
See it if You like watching terrible people masterfully manipulate everyone around them
Don't see it if you don't enjoy scenes of sex and coercion.
See it if you love a good, sexy period piece with gorgeous costumes and brilliant performances.
Don't see it if you can't sit still and keep your phone off for 2.5 hours. seriously, Broadway audiences? WTF?!?!
See it if See Liev Schreiber up close. Everyone is having affairs left & right. Easy to follow. Sword fight at very end.
Don't see it if If you'll be offended by some simulated sex on stage
See it if You love masterful acting, risqué plots, period pieces and Shakespearean endings.
Don't see it if Stories on manipulation.
See it if you saw and enjoyed any of the previous iterations of the story, like stories involving seduction and deceit, or love the main actors.
Don't see it if you dislike stories of manipulation or revenge, period plays, or lengthy productions. Read more
See it if You are fans of Janet Mcteer and Liev Schreiber, and have patience to sit through a somewhat slow moving show. The set never really changes
Don't see it if You haven't seen the movie. It can be hard to follow, and you're left wondering why!
See it if You love the play/movie, Liev Schreiber, Janet McTeer or a searing but slow-burning drama that well acted and directed.
Don't see it if You've seen it before in this another medium and aren't a fan of the story. This is true to the play and will not convert you otherwise.
See it if You want to see brilliant acting. A period piece of master manipulation by former lovers, for pure enjoyment and the relief of boredom.
Don't see it if you do not like period pieces where females are treated as sex objects, shows that involve a lot of close listening, and/or sexual tension. Read more
Critic Reviews (63)
"We have grown so familiar with these decadent creatures and their labyrinthine intrigues that something extra is needed to spice things up -- something which, I submit, is altogether missing in Josie Rourke's respectable, but unexciting, staging...In some hard-to-isolate, yet utterly crucial, way the two stars fail to connect...For all the hard work going on at the Booth, inspiration is missing. Merteuil and Valmont go through the motions, but, really, they aren't in the mood."
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"There's practically nothing in this Donmar Warehouse production that touches on danger of any recognizable kind. That is, unsurprisingly, a problem...Only once the second act hits its stride does this production get interesting, and McTeer and Schreiber become genuinely invested. They still have to fight the severe stodginess of Rourke's staging...Merteuil and Valmont should always be flirting with danger. Here, they spend most of their time not flirting with anything at all."
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"The foppish Valmont isn't a natural fit for Schreiber. Yet, he displays deft comic timing to bring out the eye-winking humor in Hampton's text...There's no question that Ms. Rourke has given the nasty pair's story a striking and symbolically rich production...Janet McTeer is superb...I have nothing but praise for the stylish staging of this much-told tale of sexual intrigue. And the current presidential campaign underscores the evolving timeliness of Hampton's text more than ever."
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"The acrimonious pas de deux between Merteuil and Valmont (as well as the heartbreaking collateral damage) knocks the wind out of the audience. This is no 'feel good' story, but rather a brilliant, exhausting, psychological drama filled with dynamic dialog and complex character interplay...'Liaisons' is an emotionally tough play to endure...On the night I attended, several people left during intermission; but, a large number of those who stayed gave it a standing ovation."
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"Tepid. That about sums it up...While McTeer is magnificent as always, she cannot alone hold up the tent. Mr. Schreiber mumbles and seems preoccupied...As for the rest–well honestly they don’t seem to matter too much. They are executing the story, and that is all...Perhaps if it were a better production it would rise above the text into a loftier position. This one only serves to remind us that women’s position is best prone and that their fates are in general fodder for locker-room banter."
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"Schreiber is riveting in that dastardly role, matching the spectacular McTeer at every jab and thrust. McTeer, a true master of the stage, gives us a woman in full control of each and every devious turn...Josie Rourke has not let her guard down and has given us an equally impressive theatrical experience...McTeer grabs us in that last scene and takes control, demolishing our memories of the film and replacing them with her assured performance."
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"The ill-timed if stylish new Broadway revival...Liev Schreiber is either miscast or misdirected...The look of this production is certainly impeccable...But strip away the British locutions, the elegant costumes and the fancy fencing, and the (mostly) quality performances: Does Valmont’s 'seduction' of the child Cecile, in which he carries her onto the bed, and sticks his hand under her dress, in some way differ from a sexual assault?"
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"Director Josie Rourke’s production is modestly successful...It’s difficult to ascertain what’s awry in this mostly tepid production—it’s like going on a date with someone who checks all the boxes but with whom you find no spark. As the manipulative Merteuil, McTeer is downright juicy in her interpretation of the text...While there’s plenty to find attractive in 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' it’s ultimately an unfinished canvas."
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