Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Adapted from Pierre Choderlos’s novel
by Christopher Hampton.
Directed by Lainie Hart. Set design by Kayla Ciceran. Costume design
by Helen Drum. Lighting design by Nathan Sciberras. Sound design by Paris
Sharkie. Properties and set dressing by Rosemary Gibson. Russell Brown OAM Set
Coordinator. Simon Tolhurst Production
Manager. Carmen King Stage Manager. Emily Backhouse Assistant Stage Manager.
Jill Young Intimacy Coordinator. Annie Holland Fight Coordinator. Elizabeth
Goodbody FOH Coordinator. Rep. Canberra
Repertory Society. April 23 – May 9. 2026. Bookings 62571950
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins.
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| Desiree Bandle as Mme de Volange. Ros Engledow as Rosemonde. Amy Gottschalk as Adele. Ashleigh Butler as Emilie Jim Adamik as Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses |
There is much to commend in Canberra Rep’s stylish production of Les Liaison Dangereuses. There is of course Christopher Hampton’s bitingly sharp translation of Pierre Chodelros de Lactos’s novel of sexual seduction, betrayal and revenge. There is Rep’s customary care and devotion to detail in Kayla Ciceran’s set design and construction by coordinator Russell Brown OAM and his team. Helen Drum’s costume designs exquisitely capture the essence of the pre French revolution period from the opulence of the aristocracy to the modest attire of the servants and the devoutly attired costume of the religious Mademoiselle Touvel (Yanina Clifton). Once again, Rep has excelled in its production values.
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| Jim Adamik as Valmont. Ashleigh Butler as Emilie |
However, an adaptation of de Lactos’s novel of 1782 is not without its challenges, and it is gratifying to see that Lainie Hart’s carefully observed production captures the style and scandalous intent of De Lactos’s work as magnificently realized in Hampton’s adaptation. It is an actor’s gift and Rep’s actors under Hart’s astute direction make the most of every moment of this wicked and cruel attack on the morals and sexual misadventures of a vain and pleasure seeking aristocracy.
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| Jordan Best as Merteuil. Jim Adamik as Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses |
The proof is in the casting, and none more so than in the casting of the devious trickster La Marquise de Merteuil and lascivious seducer Vicomte de Valmont. In Jordan Best and Jim Adamik, Hart has scored a triumph. Real life husband and wife team share a rapport and understanding that makes their deviousness utterly believable. Best’s performance goes far deeper than mere malicious guile. There is an aching pain in a woman, whose loathing of men and her subservient social status in the eyes of a paternal society lends cause to Best’s coquettish flirtation and manipulation. Adamik, already renowned as a skilled comedic character, plays the vacuous arrogance to perfection, while capturing a weakness that threatens his egotistical reputation and can only be resolved by an act of cruelty in a scene with Touvel, played with heart-wrenching truth by Clifton.
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| Yanina Clifton as Tourvel. Jim Adamik as Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Photo by Maddie and Mark Photography |
The “Beyond my control” scene stayed with me long after I left the theatre as an expression of the cruel sexual abuse by a privileged aristocractic class. Clifton’s performance is thoroughly captivating, charting the emotional journey from the upright epitome of moral virtue to the victim consumed by love unleashed by the false ardour of Valmont. It is worth a visit to Rep’s production to see these three fine actors do Hampton’s adaptation justice. There is strong support from the rest of the cast who embrace the spirit of de Lactos’s characters across the social strata. Ros Engeldow makes a welcome return to the Rep stage as Valmont’s elderly aunt, wise to the wiles of the male gender and the vulnerability of her sex. Desiree Bandle’s Mme de Volange exudes aristocratic superiority and snobbery. The various faces of the servant class are well expressed in Joan White’s doddery performance of La Gouvernante and Jack Shanahan’s presumptuous man servant to Valmont, Azolan. Jamie Johnston’s courtesan Cecile lends the bedroom scenes a touch of titillation which contrasts with the naïve innocence of de Volange’s daughter Emilie (Ashleigh Butler). Merteuil’s weapon of jealousy, Danceny, wreaks his own revenge in a sword fight skilfully choreographed by Annie Holland.
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| Jordan Best as Merteuil and Jim Adamik as Valmont in Rep's production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. |
Rep’s production is not without its challenges. Best and Adamik carry the drama through its roller-coaster ride of cunning, manipulation, sexual liaisons and the dangerous toying with people’s weaknesses. The opening night lacked the lightness of a souffle. The play opens and closes with a card game. The deck is dealt and fortunes rise and fall on the whims of power. Best and Adamik play the hands cunningly and dangerously while Touvel, Emilie and Danceny are maliciously finessed in a deliberately contrived sleight of hand. Nathan Sciberras’s lighting of the bedroom scene set at the rear of the stage, though obviously intending to preserve a degree of modesty of Jill Young’s intimacy consultancy, lacked a certain degree of highlighting to lift the scene.
Once the production settles in and the game becomes a relished contest of wit and conquest with all the playfulness of the drama, Rep’s revival of Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses will keep you intrigued from beginning to end.
Promotional images Ross Gould
Production photos Maddie and Mark Photography