Les Liaisons Dangereuses.Les Liaisons Dangereuses Sadler's Wells Theatre
Oozing oozing exudation of fluid. magnetic sexual attraction and dressed in black leather trousers and jacket, Adam Cooper convincingly portrays the seducer Vicomte de Valmont in the latest version of Choderlos de Laclos' novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses. This production, conceived and co-produced by Cooper and Lez Brotherstou, is shinning. The sinister tale of licentious li·cen·tious adj. 1. Lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct. 2. Having no regard for accepted rules or standards. intrignes and seductions in 18th-century Paris is set in an elegant, Versailles-inspired mirrored room that reflects both the glacial emotions and the multi-faceted plottings of the ruthless Valmont and his co-conspirator and former lover, the Marquise de Merteuil. Brotherston's sumptuous brocade and silk costumes give a flavor of the era without restricting today's demand for movement. A commissioned score by Philip Feeney combines the baroque period with modern electronic effects. Calling it a dance-drama, Cooper has devised his own style of choreography, giving his high-heeled courtly ladies and bewigged be·wigged adj. Wearing a wig. gentlemen a combination of ornate formality and expansive, contemporary movements. Only the young Cecile dances on pointe, to represent her virginal virginal, musical instrument: see spinet. virginal or virginals Small rectangular harpsichord with a single set of strings and a single manual. The derivation of its name is uncertain. purity. With Cooper's Royal Ballet background it is inevitable that some of his choreography recalls (yet expands) the drama and passion of MacMillan: Manon in the seduction scene and Mayerling in the rape scene. There are also visual and choreographic reminders of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is a ballet that was first staged at Sadler's Wells theatre in London in 1995. The longest running ballet in London's West End and on Broadway, it has enjoyed two successful tours in the U.K. (for which Cooper created the role of the sadomasochistic sa·do·mas·o·chism n. The combination of sadism and masochism, in particular the deriving of pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting or submitting to physical or emotional abuse. swan). Cooper tells the story succinctly, using only eight dancers and a singer. Sarah Barton offers a menacing and powerful Merteuil, never letting Valmont escape from her clutches and scheming. Sarah Wildor gives a superlative performance as the gentle Madame de Tourvel, who is passionately aroused by the evil attentions of Valmont. She moves with complete conviction and abandon and instills her dancing with realistic emotion. Helen Dixon, dancing with grace and fluidity as the sweet young Cecile, finally succumbs to her fate after incredible leg tussles and complicated turns as Valmont ensnares her. But most plaudits go to Cooper, whose performance encompasses both the dark and the magnetic side of the antihero. He pushes himself to the limits in both his dancing and acting, ensuring that the powerful drama is eloquently if somewhat brutally told. See www.sadlerswells.com. Margaret Willis |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion