Les Liaisions Dangereuses to be staged by Scarborough Players in January
Scarborough Players’ production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses will open on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, at the Scarborough Village Theatre.
Audiences are invited to enter the opulent parlours, boudoirs, and bedrooms of 18th Century France where dangerous games of seduction, betrayal and revenge are plotted and played out against unsuspecting victims.
“In a world governed by rigid rules of aristocracy, untamed desire and passion can lead to ruin. The Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont know this and contrive a game of sexual chess that will leave you breathless with its cunning and cruelty,” said Scarborough Players of the production in a news release.
Written by Christopher Hampton in 1985, this play is recommended for ages 16 and up as it contains mature language and sexual themes.
Director Sheila Gatensby has provided her understanding of what compels the action of the characters in the play.
“The story takes place in the background of what was a tumultuous lead up to the outbreak of revolution in 1789. It’s the endgame for the aristocracy and the Ancient Regime,” she said.
“It is about game playing, manipulation and revenge that fuels the relationship between Merteuil and Valmont and their targets, but game playing is a strategy for survival in a world where no one is safe. The heart of the play for me is what lies underneath the armored language that Merteuil and Valmont employ. The essential line of action is the injuries to the self and others that occur.
“It is seeing the vulnerability in Merteuil, Valmont, Cecile, Tourvel and Danceny that drives the dramatic tension in the play. For me, the dominant image of the action is ‘decay’: we witness the breakdown of self, the heart, and relationships all played out within the context of a disintegrating society and that’s what is compelling for an audience.”
Supporting Gatensby’s vision is a most talented cast. Returning to the Scarborough Players’ stage are Jeff Grujicich as Valmont (Shakespeare, Shakespeare in Love); Christine Dick as Merteuil (M’Lynn, Steel Magnolias); Misha Harding as Tourvel (Viola, Shakespeare in Love); Anne McDougall as Volange (Mary Ellen, Halfway There); Catherine Lenihan as Rosemonde (Mrs. Bailey, It’s a Wonderful Life); Bil Antoniou as Azolan (Burbage, Shakespeare in Love); Rod Cook as Major Domo (Tilney, Shakespeare in Love); and Melissa Wood as Emilie (Kate, Shakespeare in Love).
Scarborough Players is also thrilled to welcome Casey McMahon as Cecile and Erik Bracciodieta as Danceny in Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Producer and costume designer, Mary Nowlan has gathered a talented team to bring elements of the Ancient Regime to life.
Gatensby’s research and choices have inspired fight director and intimacy coordinator, Mercedes Davy; props designer, Carol Kim; sound designer, Larry Westlake; lighting designer Jennifer Bakker and all the builders and painters led by Greg Nowlan. Jamie Obregon and Summer Stevenson are recreating the hair and make-up of the era.
All this is held together by the watchful eye of stage manager, Luisa Hoffman, with help from her assistant stage manager. Cindy Alexander, and crew.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses began as a novel written in the time of the events revealed in the play. Hampton’s adaptation debuted in 1985, winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. The film version, Dangerous Liaisons, premiered in 1988.
The original book by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, a novel published in 1782, has received other adaptations including the film Valmont, directed by Milos Forman, and the modern retelling in the film – and now new series – Cruel Intentions.
The production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses will be on stage at Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd., from Jan. 10 to 25, 2025. It is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals (Samule French Inc.).
To order tickets, or for more information, please go to https://theatrescarborough.godaddysites.com/ or call 416-267-9292.
ABOUT THEATRE SCARBOROUGH:
Theatre Scarborough’s three member organizations — Scarborough Players, Scarborough Music Theatre and Scarborough Theatre Guild— have been presenting high-caliber community theatre for a combined total of over 180 years. Each season, the groups present 11 productions — dramas, thrillers, musicals, and comedies—at Scarborough Village Theatre, a 248-seat thrust stage theatre located in the Scarborough Village Recreation Centre. The complex has free on-site parking and is wheelchair accessible. The theatre also has a hearing assist system installed – devices available in the lobby before the show and at intermission.
