(Pamela Rabe and Hugo Weaving. STC's Les Liaisons
Dangereuses. © Photos by James Green)
What interests me first and foremost about Les Liaisons Dangereusesare
the characters, and my point of entry into this work is the people,
particularly the two main characters who are kind of forces of
nature. I'm excited by the idea of being able to unleash them on an
audience.
They are people who are dangerously seductively evil and engaged in
an amazingly manipulative game, characters who perform the same
seduction on the audience that they do on each other. You end up,
despite yourself, finding these people wicked but likeable.
The timeless nature of this play lies in the fact that it is an
exploration of trust, betrayal, desire, manipulation, and power.
This is one of the most fascinating examinations of sexual politics
in the canon. We have one rule for the creation of this production
and that's to make it as sexy and erotically charged as we can.
Staging it in Wharf 1 is perfect because there's something quite
intense about seeing people manipulate and seduce each other at
such close range; it makes it an even more intoxicating
experience.
We want to create a production that is incredibly detailed and
nuanced, which is the kind of theatre that excites me as a
director. It is a conventionally well-made text but the meatiness
of the characterization presents a significant acting
challenge.
What is interesting about the Christopher Hampton adaptation (which
will be used in this production) is what it does stylistically: it
treats intensely serious material in what is in some ways a comic
fashion. There is a real comedy in this play and the form of the
work matches the world it depicts, in that there is a glittering
surface beneath which is a dirty, visceral underbelly of
desire.
Restaging Les Liaisons
Dangereusesis a challenge because this play's been
done countless times before, including a production starring Hugo
at the Seymour. So the challenge is about asking how can we blow
the cobwebs away and stretch people's expectations of the romantic
view of the 18th century and drag this play into the now? How do
you cut through to what it's ultimately about? It's like acid
washing it, taking it back to the essentials, removing layers and
asking ourselves what it's actually about.
It's like the restoration of a great painting: stripping away
layers of sediment and grime, cutting through that to the heart of
what is a very contemporary story and a great vehicle for great
actors.
It's a chance to be in the same room as great characters, which is
one of the reasons we go to live theatre, it's like spending 120
minutes with Hamletor Miss Julie, but these ones
are fun. It will create an uneasy smile because you're charmed but
also disturbed by it.
This piece is a transcribed extract of a spoken interview.
Sam Strong will direct a new production of Christopher Hampton's
version of Les Liaisons Dangereusesstarring Pamela Rabe
and Hugo Weaving.
Les Liaisons
Dangereuses, Wharf 1 Theatre, 31 March - 9 June,
2012.
Feature: Sam Strong
Date posted: 26 Sep 2011Author: STC