Question about les liaisons dangereuses

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 4:56pm

I am currently working on les liaisons dangereuses as a light board op at my university and really love the show. I am curious about the way the final moments of the show were staged in the recent revival and anything information you could give would be great.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 5:06pm

The ladies were all sitting around a table playing cards and after the line that went something like, "I hope the next decade is more exciting" or something, there was just a blackout.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 5:18pm

hmm, that just seems so anti-climatic to me.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 6:38pm

It is french

[adamgreer]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 7:09pm

Roundabout didn't exactly stage an exciting production.

The last line is meant to be very ironic, as the next decade would of course be quite exciting for France. Also, most of those women would have probably ended up in the guillotine during the Revolution.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 7:28pm

The staging was very anti-climatic. If I remember correctly, ropes that were laced like spider web appeared around the periphery of the stage and the women were playing cards. As the last line was delivered there was a loud sound effect, very jarring and the lights faded to black.

It sucked.

The set was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen but Linney was miscast.

[morosco]

Posted: 11/8/10 at 9:16pm

I know the original poster was asking about the revival but in the 1987 Broadway production I seem to recall seeing the silhouette of a guillotine slamming down projected against the back wall of the set (along with appropriate sound effect) as the lights quickly faded to black.

[Justaguy2]

Posted: 11/9/10 at 12:24am

Did anyone see the Stratford Festival production this season? I heard it was terrific but I didn't get a chance to get there to see it.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 11/9/10 at 4:25pm

Morosco has the 1987 production end moment right, and it was a powerful way to end the play. It is such a strong statement that any smart director would steal (okay, borrow) this bit.

One of the (many) reasons the recent Roundabout production didn't work was that there was no foreboding. None of the characters realizes that the larger game was really over.

[outdamnwench]

Posted: 11/9/10 at 5:19pm

The Stratford production this summer was stunning. Probably the best show I've ever seen at the festival. Perfect cast, perfect design, in the perfect theatre.

At the end, after the line: "I hope the next decade is more exciting", the upstage doors swung open and the servants wheeled out a massive guillotine which sliced down, plunging the stage into blackout.

Pictures from the production: http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/watch/gallery/galleryplayer.aspx?id=10696&albumid=747