Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Two high profile revivals of revered British plays moderately disappoint: David Hare’s PLENTY and Christopher Hampton’s LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES

• By drediman
• November 2, 2016
• No Comments

Two of the theater season’s most anticipated highbrow revivals – David Hare’s Plenty and Christopher Hampton’s Les Liasons Dangereuses – arrived in New York this fall. Both plays share very similar pedigrees: both were written by British playwrights and originally staged in the 1980s to great critical and commercial success. Unfortunately, despite some delicious casting and well-regarded creatives, both revivals are tepid, failing to ignite the stage in the way these wordy, provocative plays need. Which is not to say they are terrible, just moderately disappointing.

Corey Stoll and Rachel Weisz in “Plenty” at the Public Theater

Mr. Hare’s Plenty (RECOMMENDED) was introduced to New York audiences in 1982 at the Public Theater to enthusiastic acclaim. It was with great excitement, therefore, that I anticipated the revival when it was announced that the play, which I’ve long admired, would also be playing the Public, headlined by Rachel Weisz (playing a former secret agent who becomes increasingly mentally unstable without the war to ground her) and Corey Stoll (playing her long-suffering husband) and helmed by respected British director David Leveaux. Unfortunately, the revival fails to break through the removed veneer of Mr. Hare’s dense, punchy dialogue. The actors do a sensible, solid job, although you need intense magnetism in the central roles to really get drawn into the play’s tricky, episodic plot. Unfortunately, Ms. Weisz and Mr. Stoll only occasionally truly catch on fire – sans histrionics – to the detriment of the production. Mr. Leveaux’s icy, stately production also doesn’t help the cause much, despite being handsomely mounted.

Janet McTeer and Liev Schreiber in “Les Liasons Dangereuses” at the Booth Theatre

Uptown, I also caught the high profile revival of Les Liasons Dangereuses (RECOMMENDED), which recently opened at the Booth Theatre on Broadway. Let me confess upfront that I have never been a big fan of Christopher Hampton’s play (an epic story of seduction, deception, decadence, and power that takes place in 1780s France), itself adapted from the novel by Choderlos de Lacios. The production, directed by Josie Rourke (another Brit) enjoyed a well-received run at the Donmar Warehouse in London starring the indomitable Janet McTeer and Dominic West. That production and Janet McTeer have been joined on the Great White Way by the superb Liev Schreiber (replacing Mr. West). Oddly, on this side of the pond, both Ms. Mcteer and Mr. Schreiber seem somewhat bored with their roles and exhibit only moderate chemistry with each other, though both are certainly at least proficient. They’re just not inspired. This seems strange since the roles of La Marquise de Merteuil and Le Vicomte de Valmont are some of the juiciest roles in modern theater. Their central battle royal between the sexes, therefore, fails to fully rivet, dragging the whole production (luxuriously paced by Ms. Rourke) down with it.

PLENTY
Off-Broadway, Play
The Public Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through December 1 

LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES
Broadway, Play
Booth Theatre
2 hours, 45 minutes (with one intermission)
Through January 22