Newnan Theatre Company Presents LES LIASONS DANGEREUSES 4/19-29

"Les Liaisons Dangereuses," by Christopher Hampton, plays Newnan Theatre Company's Black Box  April 19-29 Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3pm.  The drama originated from a French epistolary novel by Choderlos de Laclos, first published in 1782. The two main characters, both so rich they have no concept of the value of money, feel they are above the law and free to play by their own rules. They pretend in public to be all they should be, but behind closed doors they reveal themselves as they truly are. Note: this play contains mature subject matter.

Marie Antoinette (of "Let Them Eat Cake" fame) apparently loved this tale about rich aristocrats with nothing better to do than to play cruel seduction games. Strangely, modern readers and audiences are intrigued as well, and the story has been adapted multiple times for both stage and screen. In London in 1986, Christopher Hampton won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, and Lindsay Duncan received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. The most recent movie adaptation (1988) was directed by Stephen Frears and starred Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer. The movie was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

This show is directed by Jennifer Dorrell, Stan Gentry plays the Vicomte de Valmont, who takes pride in his ability to seduce any woman he chooses. Gentry is a Newnanite and a graduate of Young Harris College. He has recently returned from Spain where he hiked one of the ancient pilgrim roads, the Camino Santiago. For the past four years Gentry has been performing in "Peachtree Battle," the longest running show in Atlanta theatre history. "It's incredibly nice to leave a big fluffy comedy and come and do something different," said Gentry. "These characters have lots of complexity and different levels where you can make discoveries." He is in the process of starting his own film Production Company because he wants "to be on both sides of the camera."

The wicked Marquise de Merteuil is reportedly one of Alison Chambers' "bucket list" roles. Chambers says, "I actually enjoy playing this role. To me it's like therapy." Merteuil plays the puppet master who, for reasons of her own, aids, abets and manipulates Valmont in his schemes. Chambers is the artistic director of the Twilight Theatre in Peachtree City and teaches voice lessons. She also sings and dances impersonates Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe on occasion.

Madame de Tourvel, a virtuous married lady and an intended victim, is played by Nicole Walker of Carrollton. Walker graduated from the University of West Georgia with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. "It was the only subject that was any fun," she explained. At present she works for her father and is co-host on the local radio station. She is getting married right after the show closes.

For Director Jennifer Dorrell, one of the play's challenges is the eighteenth century costumes, especially the women's. They are heavy and hard to move around in. No wonder those aristocratic ladies needed a small army of personal maids. However, understanding the characters is a challenge of another magnitude. "In a society dominated by men, the female characters find a way to control them through sex," said Dorrell.

Madame de Tourvel is the only one who actually practices the morals held up by her society as ideals. Her virtue gives her a sense of superiority and at least the illusion that she can make her own choices.

Dorrell has a harder time identifying with the Marquise of Merteuil. "She is probably a sociopath. But what drives her? Is she damaged? It's hard to play an evil character who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever."

This show asks the questions: Why do these reprehensible characters from a bygone time continue to fascinate audiences? Are we appalled by their immorality and hoping they get what they deserve, or are we secretly hoping their wicked schemes will succeed? Maybe it's a testimony to the complexity of human nature that we are never quite sure.

Tickets are $7-$14. To make reservations, and for show and audition dates and times, visit Newnan Theatre Company's web site at http://newnantheatre.org. The theatre building is located in historic downtown Newnan at 24 First Avenue.

Email Artistic Director Paul Conroy at artistic-director@newnantheatre.org for more information.