Choderlos de Laclos-Christopher Hampton

Dangerous Liaisons

drama

Translated by::

One would think Choderlos de Laclos' 18th century epistolary novel has lost most of its freshness. We'e not saying that burning jealousy, possessivity and self-consuming love are not hot topics today, but it does seem like the slow spiderwebs woven by the written word have become a bit tattered.
At the same time, billions of e-mails, text messages, social media posts and blogs show that the Gutenberg Galaxy is far from over – it has only transformed. The written word is back in charge, and the distance between people is as big as ever, making us even bolder to confess, to beg and to threaten. 
By combining  Laclos' original work and Christopher Hampton's transcription adapted into a world-famous film), we are trying to serve drama with modern writing just like the epistolary novel form in Laclos' time. If we succeed, the story will work in today's intellectual, political and artistic elite just as well as it did in the time when the original novel was written.
In 1781 pre-Revolution Paris, the amoral and sexually ravenous Marquise de Merteuil plots revenge against her ex-lover, the Comte de Bastide (Gercourt in the book), who has recently ended their relationship. To soothe her wounded pride and embarrass Bastide, she seeks to arrange the seduction and disgrace of his young virgin fiancée, Cécile de Volanges , who has only recently been presented to society after spending her formative years in the shelter of a convent. Merteuil calls on the similarly unprincipled Vicomte de Valmont to do the deed, offering him her own sexual favors as a reward. Valmont declines, as he has a seduction of his own in progress: Madame de Tourvel, the virtuous wife of a judge. Merteuil is amused and incredulous at Valmont's hubris; how can he ever hope to bed a chaste, devoutly religious woman like Madame Tourvel? Never one to refuse a challenge, Valmont modifies the proposal: If he succeeds in sleeping with Tourvel, Merteuil must sleep with him as well. Merteuil accepts, on the condition that he furnish written proof of the liaison.

Theatre director Hargitai Iván studied law at the József Attila Science University, then graduated as a director from the Theatre and Film Academy if Budapest. Between 1994—1998, he was a director at Új Színház, then he worked as a freelancer. Between 2002–2010, he was the leader of the theatre company at Pécsi Nemzeti Színház, then from 2009, he worked as a director for Móricz Zsigmond Színház in Nyíregyháza and Vörösmarty Színház in Székesfehérvár. Today, he is the leader of the theatre company at Vörösmarty Színház in Székesfehérvár. 

Cast of characters:

Premier: 2016.03.12