LTVB’s LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES IS

 BEAUTIFUL, BUT MISMATCHED

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . to See the Dangers of Deceit – and a Fabulous Duel

The production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach is visually stunning.  The clever set by Jason Martens is elegant and exquisite, using the same elements in different configurations to create eight credibly different venues – not a simple task on such a small stage.  The costumes by designer Kay Burcher and her crew (Karen Buchheim, Kathy Hinson, Kyra Hinson, Donna Kirsch, Mary Lou Mahlman, Abbey Ortiz, Marie Vesely and Bob Weaver) are gorgeous and embrace the enormous challenge of convincing us that we are viewing the fashionable crowd in late 18^th century France.  The women’s dresses are the focal point of the costume plot, and Ms. Burcher does a commendable job of reinforcing each actor’s character through her unique style; one dress, a striking black figured print, was so exceptional that it received a well-deserved gasp of appreciation from the audience.  Because the performances are not as uniformly outstanding as the scenic and costume design, however, this production is not entirely successful.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is the story of La Marquise de Merteuil and Le Vicomte de Valmont, two aristocrats in pre-revolutionary France who engage in complicated romantic intrigues largely for their own amusement.  They wager whether Valmont, a jaded Lothario, will succeed in seducing Mme. de Tourvel, a happily married woman renowned for her fidelity.  The tale tells the lengths to which Valmont will go to win the wager, the various sensual maneuverings of the key players, their underlying motivations and the impact their actions have on the other characters.

Director Robin Chapman presents a well-blocked production that demonstrates some interesting and effective choices, including use of a late 20^th century song played in a chamber-music style that calls the haunting lyrics to mind while maintaining the time period of the play itself.  With a notable exception, however, Mr. Chapman’s cast fails to explore the nuances of the characters so the piece as a whole lacks the tension critical to making these liaisons truly dangerous.

The exception is Ann Heywood’s superb depiction of La Marquise de Merteuil.  Ms. Heywood’s Marquise is at once charming, jealous, whimsical, calculating and deadly earnest.  Ms. Heywood’s performance perfectly captures the sophisticated formality of the period without ever stepping over that fine line into stiltedness.  But as fascinating as she is when she delivers her lines, Ms. Heywood is almost better when she reacts to the other actors; whenever she is onstage, she commands attention without overshadowing her fellow performers.  Because of Ms. Heywood’s compelling and believable performance, we are interested in and intrigued by her Marquise even though there is little to like about the character.

As Le Vicomte de Valmont, Phillip Martin utilizes his rich, round speaking voice to excellent effect; we believe women could be wooed by his beautiful voice alone.  Overall, however, Mr. Martin’s Valmont is just too likeable.  Because we never really believe this Valmont is evil enough to carelessly use and heartlessly discard women, the tension inherent in the script’s depiction of a ruthless libertine developing genuine feelings for a good woman is absent from this production and the question of whether Valmont is truly captivated by Mme. de Tourvel or whether it is merely an act is barely noticeable.  As a result, Valmont’s climactic scene with Mme. de Tourvel lacks credibility and the Marquise’s subsequent hideous revelations are devoid of the passionate impact that would exist if we truly believed that Valmont was capable of such perfidy. 

Leigh Strenger delivers a satisfactory performance as Mme. de Tourvel.  We believe that she is a steadfast wife, but her scenes with Valmont are devoid of any palpable chemistry.  We therefore do not feel the conflict that Mme. de Tourvel possesses as she discovers perhaps for the first time that faithfulness is a choice, and we do not believe that she so craves the Vicomte that she would be willing to sacrifice everything to accede to her overwhelming desire for him.  Because that tension is not present in Ms. Strenger’s performance, her final frenzy, while vehement, lacks context and credibility.  A stronger lighting design would have helped to reinforce the passion and conflict that in this production is not endemic to Mme. de Tourvel’s scenes with Valmont.

Alina Carson is pretty with a graceful stage presence and her portrayal of the ingénue, Cecile Volanges, is fresh and demure.  Her reaction to Valmont’s seduction, however, is inconsistent with a woman of that time period and that discrepancy adds to the lack of tension in this production.  In an age where a young, female aristocrat’s most prized possession was her innocence that was expected to exist upon her marriage – and created a huge scandal if it did not – this Cecile’s response is implausibly muted.  Instead Cecile seems merely confused by the encounter in a way that a 21^st century teenager might feel if she was inexplicably romanced by a much older man, rather than encompassing the shame and very real fear of social ostracism that would be much more typical of the time period.  As a result, the Marquise’s shocking advice to enjoy the affair and acquire skills to use on other men lacks resonance, and, through no fault of Ms. Heywood’s performance, an opportunity to more fully understand the complexity of the Marquise’s personality is not incorporated into this production.

Part of the problem is that the context is not well defined in the opening scene.  The majority of the exposition that establishes the social mores of the time is carried by Cecile’s mother, Mme. de Volanges, played here by Mary Lou Mahlman.  Ms. Mahlman’s characterization is more reminiscent of an American Southern nosy neighbor than of a refined European 18^th century matriarch, and her folksy charm is a jarring discord against the formal mannerisms of the period.  This Mme. de Volanges does not convey the strict social customs that were demanded at that time, and the failure to credibly present the appropriate milieu has a deleterious impact upon the production as a whole.

Because of their potential for melodrama, stage fights are notoriously difficult to present and perform, but the duel between Valmont and the Marquise’s young lover, Danceny, portrayed by Roger Bisaillon, is one of this show’s best moments.  Choreographed by Christopher Bernhardt, the fight is well-staged and entertaining, plausibly executed by Mr. Martin and Mr. Bisaillon, and it credibly forwards the drama without becoming belabored by it.

Bottom line?  There are some wonderful elements in LTVB’s production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, including the beautiful sets and costumes and Ms. Heywood’s accomplished performance, and if the production as a whole is uneven, it is still worth the time and the ticket price.

 

Performances run thru June 9^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach,

550 Barberton Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451.

Tickets are $17 ($14 for matinees) with discounts for seniors, students and active military. 

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 428-9233

or online at ltvb.com.

PCT'S DOUBT: A PARABLE

IS CAUTIOUS CAUTIONARY TALE

Theater Babe Says:  Go . . . and Consider the Power of Mere Speculation

With its sparse set and costumes and a plot that relies almost more upon what is not said than what is, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony award winning play, Doubt: A Parable, is a challenge for any amateur group to produce.  There’s a lot that’s good about the Peninsula Community Theatre’s current production but because its leading actors do not fully commit to the nuances of the complex characters they portray, this show overall is not as brilliant as it could be.

Set in 1964, Doubt centers upon Sister Aloysius Beauvier, a stern, uncompromising “old-school” nun who is the principal of St. Nicholas, a Catholic school located in the Bronx.  Sister Aloysius dislikes the pastor of St. Nicholas, Father Flynn, and the multi-leveled script provides a variety of potential causes for her antagonism including that he represents the reform within the Catholic Church that was taking place at the time that is at odds with the traditional ways she espouses, her jealousy of the attention and affection he garners from the students of “her” school, the fact that he is a lauded member of the male-centric church hierarchy while she is consigned to a subordinate role despite her age and greater experience, and the possibility that he has engaged in an improper relationship with a student.  Sister Aloysius spreads her suspicion regarding the last through innuendo that may or may not be well-intentioned, and the conflict that arises is the spoke about which the plot turns.

In PCT’s production, the actors in the principal roles do a good job of presenting the basic premise and the pace of the piece is quick and effective.  Director Mike Diana wisely chooses to impose a complete blackout following the house manager’s spiel while a simple acoustic song plays so we have a moment to adjust from the typical pre-show bustle and to settle before the show starts.  That quiet moment reinforces to us the importance of the subject matter to follow and successfully defines the mood before the action ever begins.

As Sister Aloysius, Linda Marley Smith is creditably stern and matter-of-fact, a distinct contrast to the affable Father Flynn portrayed by John Cauthen.  Mr. Cauthen's Father Flynn is engaging and personable, and we believe that he would be popular in a way that Sister Aloysius would not.  However, there is little grit or unease behind this Father Flynn’s geniality and Mr. Cauthen’s interpretation lacks any edginess that would give depth to the character and add real tension to the drama.  Because we never truly believe that Father Flynn might be guilty, here Sister Aloysius is relegated to nothing more than a mean-spirited gossip and Father Flynn’s ultimate decision seems to be made only as a means to avoid the annoyance she creates.  Similarly, Ms. Smith’s Sister Aloysius is so determinedly severe that we do not recognize the fear and protectiveness that, based on the layered script, could be alternative and more empathetic explanations for her actions.  The interpretation presented here works for the most part, but it is more simplistic and less interesting than the material warrants.

Part of the problem may be that there is no strong foil to the opposing forces represented by Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius.  The script is designed so that a younger nun, Sister James, is torn between her platonic fondness for Father Flynn, her respect for Sister Aloysius and the demands of her own instincts.  In this production, Misty Menken’s portrayal of Sister James is believably young and natural, but there is a continual sameness in her performance which glosses over the conflicted tension inherent in the role. 

The standout performance is unquestionably delivered by Nerissa V. Thompson as Mrs. Muller, the mother of the student who is the subject of Father Flynn’s alleged advances.  In her single brief scene, Ms. Thompson generates more energy and tension than is present in the entire first act as she plausibly presents the multi-faceted reasons that Mrs. Muller wants her son to remain at St. Nicholas.  Ms. Thompson skillfully manages to command the stage while her character, a black woman in pre-civil-rights America, plausibly demonstrates both deference and gratitude to the principal who accepted her son as the lone non-white pupil in a school populated with students of Irish or Italian ancestry.  Ms. Thompson’s accomplished portrayal does not shy away from the contradictions written into the role and we understand Mrs. Muller’s pragmatic approach even as we are horrified by it.

The set, designed by Patty Ellison, is in three sections:  a pulpit, Sister Aloysius’s office, and a courtyard outside the church.  Each section is credibly presented and well-utilized by Mr. Diana’s blocking and the austerity of the surroundings subtly emphasizes the seriousness of the drama presented.  In the same way, the costumes by Julie Perkoski are authentic and period-appropriate.

A single misstep occurs in the costuming and set dressing which is a jarring note in what is otherwise an amazingly accurate depiction of the time and place.  During Father Flynn’s initial sermon, his vestments and the pulpit cloth are in the green color that is customarily used in a Catholic service during much of the year.  Later in the show, his vestments and the pulpit cloth are inexplicably blue – a color that is not used for those items by the Catholic Church.  Because the colors that are used (green, white/gold, purple or red) are symbolically significant, the choice to use a completely different color suddenly reminds us that this is a theatrical production and it undermines the genuineness that the scene and costumes create during the rest of the play.  It is a minor error which unnecessarily weakens the show’s credibility.

Bottom line?  With the notable exception of Nerissa V. Thompson’s extraordinary portrayal of Mrs. Muller, the PCT production of Doubt: A Parable does not embrace the full complexity of the material, but the basic plot is satisfactorily presented and as a whole this production is worth the time and the ticket price.

Performances run thru May 12^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Peninsula Community Theatre,

10521 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23601.

Tickets are $16 and can be obtained by

calling the box office at (757) 595-5728 or online at pctlive.org.

© 2013 Hampton Roads Theater Babe. All Rights Reserved.