Curtain call: Dangerous intentions

There can be no play more aptly fitting MSU’s seasonal theme of “Power Plays” than “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” It is a powerful script about powerful people carelessly playing Review with power as they manipulate and destroy those around them.

La Marquise de Merteuil (Carolyn Conover) and le Vicomte de Valmont (Kirill Sheynerman), once and possibly future lovers, take great joy in playing with people as if they were chess pieces. The show opens with Merteuil beseeching Valmont for aid in avenging some slight. Her plan involves bedding a sweet virgin betrothed to a man who had wronged her.

Valmont is distracted by his own goal, however. He has fallen in love with la Presidente de Tourvel (Mary Dilworth), who is highly virtuous and faithfully married. He believes that if he can conquer her sexually, his interest will wane. Complications with both of their plans align Valmont and Merteuil’s goals. Despite her jealously of Valmont’s love of Tourvel, Merteuil cannot let go of her need to destroy her enemies. What begins as entertainment born of ennui becomes a deadly game of social politics.

Madame de Rosemonde (Grace Hinkley), the wise grande dame of the group who is mostly ignored, advises a distraught Tourvel that “those worthy of love are never made happy by it.” This pessimistic theme rings true because the game is controlled by Merteuil, who distills everything to one wonderfully simple principle:

“Win or die.” The odds favor the latter outcome.

Taking on “Liaisons” was a bold move, considering that there are two iconic feature films based on the story. The 1988 film “Dangerous Liaisons” is an Oscarwinning classic starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich, who chewed the scenery as they ripped each other apart. The 1999 modernization “Cruel Intentions,” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, was designed for a younger audience. The performances were more sedate yet the film oozed sexuality.

Despite the pop culture competition, MSU has created a fresh take on the work. The theme of games is utilized throughout, from the set design and makeup to the choreography and blocking. While the cast as a whole is solid, the casting of Conover and Sheynerman as the leads is a masterstroke. They bring the maturity necessary to elevate the play beyond a university studio production. And Sheynerman provides, as an audience member noted after Saturday’s performance, “some beefcake for the ladies.”

The intimacy of the Arena Theatre heightens the intensity of power struggle and makes the heartbreak more palpable. Because the production is in the round, the whole audience may not see the emotional results of every sling and arrow, with characters facing away at a crucial moment.

Still, the blocking provides chances enough to witness the subtle flick of sorrow or the hardening of a jaw as the leads resolve to forego happiness for victory.

Set changes between scenes slow the pace. Director Dan Smith utilizes the supporting cast of servants as stagehands. They elegantly reposition furniture as if placing pieces onto a game board, and their brief interactions are relevant to the plot. The frequent set changes, however, lengthen the play to more than two and a half hours; fortunately, the sharp script keeps the audience engaged in anticipating the outcome of the game. In this wicked game, the viewers are the only winners.

“Les Liaisons Dangerueses”

MSU Department of Theatre 7:30 p.m. Wednesday- Thursday Nov. 19-20; 8 p.m. Friday- Saturday Nov. 21-22; 2 p.m. Sunday Nov. 23 $10. Arena Theatre, MSU Auditorium, 542 Auditorium Road, East Lansing. (800) WHARTON, whartoncenter.com