(Le Vicomte de Valmont played by Stavros Sakiadis and La Marquise de Merteuil played by Megan LeMarquand can be found performing in Dangerous Liaisons, Kanata Theatre’s November performances. Photos: Alex Henkelman)
Seduction, intrigue, and high stakes—just a taste of what awaits in *Dangerous Liaisons. A scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman. Their targets are the virtuous (and married) Madame de Tourvel and Cécile de Volanges, a young girl who has fallen in love with her music tutor, the Chevalier Danceny. In order to gain their trust, Merteuil and Valmont pretend to help the secret lovers so they can use them later in their own treacherous schemes.
But as their intrigues become more duplicitous and they find their human pawns responding in ways they could not have predicted, the consequences prove to be more serious, and deadly, than the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont could have guessed.
It takes place in various salons and boudoirs in hotels and châteaux in and around Paris and the Bois de Vincennes during an autumn and winter in the late 1780s.
“Dangerous Liaisons”, by Christopher Hampton and directed by Sarah Hegger, is a 1985 play adapted from the 1782 scandalous novel of the same title in French by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
Hampton adapted the play for the screen in a 1988 film version directed by Stephen Frears and starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Swoosie Kurtz, Mildred Natwick, Peter Capaldi and Keanu Reeves. It received seven nominations at the 61st Academy Awards, including for the Best Picture, and won three: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
CAST
- Azolan: Cameron Bishop
- Cecile Volanges: Ava Gustine
- Emilie: Sumeyra Ulas
- La Marquise de Merteuil: Megan LeMarquand
- La Presidente de Tourvel: Lindsey Keene
- Le Chevalier Danceny: Thomas Jestin
- Le Vicomte de Valmont: Stavros Sakiadis
- Madame de Rosemonde: Sandy Wynne
- Madame de Volanges: Sharon Bernbaum
- Major Domo: Arsenii Skvortsov
CHORUS:
- Chorus Lead: Arsenii Skvortsov
- Chorus: Andra Smith
- Chorus: Justine Brown
- Chorus: Amy McCallum
- Chorus: Selvam Sitaraman
With a cast of 10 actors, Dangerous Liaisons is one of the larger ensembles the Kanata Theatre has introduced, with a number of actors from the Ottawa Little Theatre joining the troupe.
Kanata Theatre is excited to bring to the stage this classic drama with performances November 6th – 16th at 7:30pm, with a matinee performance on November 10th at 2:30pm. Tickets can be purchased on-line or through our box office by calling 613-831-4435.
As this production contains mature themes, including depictions of violence and assault, portrayed with sensitivity, it is recommended that those aged 16 and above attend.
