Les Liaisons Dangereuses NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (295)
See it if you like fun, romantic romps.
Don't see it if I'm just going to say that I think the closer to the stage you sit the more you will enjoy the show because you can better feel the sexualit
See it if You are a fan of McTeer and/or Schrieber. They are both wonderful, despite their reviews.
Don't see it if You need a happy resolution to every play. This is funny but also dark and disturbing
See it if McTeer & Schreiber and supporting cast are wonderful in a "text-heavy, scenery-light" production the ultimately delivers in Act II
Don't see it if Surprisingly tepid to at the start - audience must trust that the arc of the production will ultimately hit its mark (it does)
See it if You're looking for a GREAT production of a riveting play!
Don't see it if You're a prude...
See it if You want to see acting as its best. These actors portray awful people you can't help but love - on stage, a real feat.
Don't see it if You are looking for a shorter play: this comes close to 3 hours (but the time goes by fast). If you are offended by dark, sexual scenes. Read more
See it if you enjoy an eighteenth century story about devious social manipulation. Kind of like Ray Donovan in 1780.
Don't see it if you don't have enough patience to sit through lengthy dialogue to enjoy the complexities of this plot.
See it if you like complex story and good acting. It's a long play, but at the end is well worth the time.
Don't see it if seeing a men pursuing multiple women turns you off
See it if you enjoy dark twisted tales of sex power and betrayal. It doesn't get much better than this, unless it were a true story.
Don't see it if long plays aren't for you, though it does fly by. As today's idly rich seem above the rules, this reminds them what befell those before.
Critic Reviews (63)
"Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber are generating the sexual, seductive sparks that make Josie Rourke’s new production of Christopher Hampton’s 'Les Liaisions Dangereuses' so extremely compelling. What initially seemed to me to be a less-than-necessary revival turns out to be required viewing for serious theatergoers...Delivering a quip or sting with the aim of an Olympic archer or concealing her sneer beneath a crocodile smile, McTeer is never less than masterful."
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"Rourke offers a feminist reading of the work, one in which the roles women play, by force and by choice, are closely examined...This is an astute and intellectually provocative approach, but it doesn’t always serve the rather more salacious script...Schreiber’s Valmont is no match for Merteuil. He layers some of his eventual rout into the earlier scenes, all but ceding the stage to McTeer. McTeer knows what to do with it...Her extraordinary performance is scorching and chilling."
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"Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber have no chemistry, no seething wit or malice and are terribly miscast...For three hours Josie Rourke fails to bring the play to life. I blame her for this dull uneventful stagnate production. Ms. McTeer is neither sexy, powerful, nor cruel enough. She is like a tall cool glass of water who the posing Schreiber does not connect an ounce with. This time the Donmar Warehouse fails."
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"Why are the many American actors in the new Broadway revival talking with an English accent?...In Liev Schreiber’s eccentric performance, this audio disconnect provides one of the few pleasures in what is otherwise a lethargic production...McTeer can best be described as arch in her overly mannered approach to the character’s machinations...As presented here, the Hampton play turns into another of those British middle-brow dramas masquerading as high art."
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"This new 'Liaisons,' directed by the Donmar’s artistic director Josie Rourke, is intelligent, colorful, and lively (mostly)...McTeer's Marquise is successful, on its own; but she seems to be observing the proceedings, rather than determinedly pulling the strings. Part of this might be due to a mismatch with Mr. Schreiber, who is also an actor of great power. Not quite so much here. Without the pair engaging in a dastardly battle of wits on a taut tightrope, the play restlessly drags on."
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"Schrieber is especially deft in the role...McTeer is adept at hauteur toward Valmont and others, but also effective in unleashing venom and communicating inner pain and distress...Director Rourke strikes a balance between the nastiness of the interplay and the humor derived from it...The drama could use some cutting, as after a while the events seem repetitive...While this is not a production for the ages, it is certainly a reputable addition to the lore and lure of Hampton’s work."
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“The Booth Theatre pluses with a kind of erotic energy rarely achieved on stage — or really, anywhere. Much credit for this is due to Liev Schreiber and Janet McTeer, two kinetic actors at the height of their careers whose onstage chemistry and mastery of their craft makes this one of the most delectable nights of theatre Broadway has seen in years...The vision of the play put forth by Rourke is both stunning and illuminating of Hampton’s text.”
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"This new staging signals the Broadway debut of English director Josie Rourke and marks the first 'Liaisons' in my experience to come anywhere near the power of the original. Its newfound elan is thanks to a sizzling cast led by the sublime Janet McTeer and a bolder take on the piece from Rourke...Rourke allows a period piece to tap into gender wars that are being waged even now while ensuring that this 'Liaisons' feels newly dangerous, indeed."
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