'Liaisons' full of intrigue

The decadent society of the late 1780's could not be better portrayed than in Christopher Hampton's "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." The play, based on the novel by Choderlos de Laclos, premiered at the John Waldron Arts Center Friday. It is a story of intrigue, jealousy and, most of all, the constant search for pleasure. \nUnder the direction of Amanda Renée Baker, "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" kept me sitting at the edge of my seat throughout its almost three-hour duration. Not a moment of the play was wasted, and there was not a single audience member that did not get enraptured in the action. \nThe play opened with a sparse set greeting the viewers as they came into the small, 100-seat theater hall. Three chairs, a table and a make-shift couch occupied half of the stage; an oak bed, fattened with pillows and a feather comforter sat regally on the other. Along with this, five screens hung from the ceiling. They served as the narrator -- putting action in context. Everything was white except for one little detail: a red ribbon attached to some piece of the furniture. This signified a foreshadowing of things to come -- the innocence that was to be taken away. \nWritten in the late 1780's, the plot is quite simple. The Marquise de Merteuil (Breshaun-Birene Joyner) seeks revenge on a former lover. To do so, she enlists a like-minded friend and former lover, the Vicomte de Valmont, to deflower the man's young fiancée, Cecile Volanges (Stephanie Dodge), known for her unshakable fidelity. The two proceed gleefully with their scheme, until an unexpected turn of events shakes to the core everything in which they believe. \nMadame la Marquise holds "cruelty" as her favorite word. She is stubborn, cold-blooded and domineering. Joyner conveyed the spirit of the Marquise with utmost precision. She gracefully conveyed the Marquise' motto: "I was born to dominate (the male) sex and to avenge my own."\nThe Vicomte's life is centered on the search for pleasure. He knows nothing more rewarding than finding pleasure in the unlikeliest of places. Daniel J. Petrie was stirring as the rakish Valmont. Joyner and Petrie craft their characters with astonishing precision, setting up traps for their victims and lying in wait. Not knowing the actors personally, one would think that their on-stage personas are their true personalities. Surely, that is a sign of good acting. \nAmong the rest of the cast, of special note is Bobby Hackett portraying Valmont's servant Azolan. He is the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-hearing eye of the Vicomte, and gleefully plays a homosexual fascinated by his master. \nKudos to the director and the art director for a set filled to the brim with symbolism. The three primary colors of the production -- white, red and black were the only ones to be seen throughout. The changes of the flowers -- Cecile's sign -- from white to red to black only further establish what the viewers already know from the action. Nonetheless, the symbolism is an important facet of the play. Lighting and sound also deserve some mention, as these two often ignored features of a play made this particular one more enjoyable. The sound gripped the heart as well as the action, and the lighting was just right to focus on certain characters at specific times. \nAlthough the production was well done, there were some minor slip-ups. Madame de Volanges' (Annie Vowell) tattoos took away from her performance. Her open décolleté showcased the flower pattern around her neck, which distracted the audience from her acting. There were some minor blunders in the actors' lines, but that is usual for a premiere. Despite these insignificant gaffes, the play was most enjoyable, and I recommend it to all.