Review: Queensland Ballet's Dangerous Liasons
Queensland Ballet
Dangerous Liaisons
Talbot Theatre
October 2
It is just over six years since Queensland Ballet’s premiere of Dangerous Liaisons, the late Liam Scarlett’s first (and only) commission for the company as Artistic Associate. This was therefore a welcome first return season of this audacious, beautifully crafted piece of theatre, restaged for the company by Laura Morera, Artistic Supervisor for the Scarlett Estate.
Scarlett took Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ sultry 18th century novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, about the aristocracy in pre-revolutionary France, and turned its epistolary structure and complex narrative into a cohesive two-act ballet that convincingly portrays the hedonistic intrigue and betrayal of the original, cautionary tale.
It’s a damning depiction of French aristocracy in the 1700s, the story revolving around the wealthy widow, Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil (Georgia Swan), her former lover, Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont (Edison Manuel), and the games of seduction and petty revenge they play on their immediate social circle.
The tone of the ballet is clearly set from its dark and misty opening, as we watch Merteuil being ‘comforted’ by her lover Comte de Gercourt (Vito Bernasconi) on the coffin of her recently deceased husband. Each of the main protagonists and their complex relationships are then introduced over the first act, and while a vigilant reading of the synopsis beforehand would certainly help here, the crux of the compelling story is largely discernible through beautifully crafted movement, articulate gesture and Scarlett’s innate sense of theatricality.
All the Queensland Ballet dancers were fully invested in their characters, with several of the original cast repeating their roles, providing additional gravitas. Again, Guest Artist Janette Mulligan gave a nuanced interpretation of the effusive Madame de Rosemonde, aunt to Valmont, while Yanela Piñera recaptured the bewildered innocence of the young Cécile Volanges. It is Valmont’s bet with Merteuil that, for a night in her bed, he will seduce Cécile, compromising her betrothal to Gercourt, which instigates the drama.
Edison Manuel gave a powerful, technically assured performance as Valmont, the arrogant, but charismatic philanderer, who to his surprise and ultimate downfall, falls in love with the self-assured Madame de Tourvel, danced again by Lucy Green. Green was captivating in the role, and her final duet with Manuel of soaring lifts and impossibly difficult throws that collapse into a passionate embrace, was breathtaking in its audacity.
Rian Thompson, reprising his role of Chevalier Danceny, was all boyish charm as the sensitive young piano teacher to Cécile. Their duet, combining a piano lesson with blossoming romance makes an enchanting interlude in the second act before it descends into tragedy.
Bernasconi was convincing as the cuckolded Gercourt, as was Vanessa Morelli as Madame de Volanges, the scheming mother of Cécile. Other minor characters were also well developed. Servants Victoire and Azolan (Jessica Stratton-Smith and Ivan Surodeev), enable the convoluted scheming, providing some light relief and effectively linking the scenes together, while Libby-Rose Niederer was winsomely coquettish in a cameo role as Émilie, one of Valmont’s entourage of courtesans.
However, it is Swan’s consummate performance as the manipulative Merteuil that dramatically anchors the ballet. Always terrific in dramatic roles, here Swan was indomitable, commanding the stage with a carefully nuanced interpretation of the vengeful widow. Her final emotionally charged duet with Manuel is an acrobatic tour de force – Valmont manhandling, in a debauched frenzy, the now scantily clad Merteuil.
A glorious arrangement by Martin Yates of some of the lesser-known works of Camille Saint-Saëns underscores the ballet’s drama as it unfolds. Solo piano often features, but the score still has a truly symphonic sound, heard here in a recording by Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, Camerata, under Music Director Nigel Gaynor. The immediacy of live music was nevertheless sorely missed, its absence an unfortunate casualty of moving the performances from QPAC to QB’s own smaller, more intimate Talbot Theatre.
Highlighting the successful collaboration that supported Scarlett’s creative vision are Tracey Grant Lord’s set and costume designs. Glamorously coloured dresses and jackets of silk and brocade, peeling away sometimes to various stages of undress, are striking against the more subdued but grand architecture of the setting. Here multiple panelled screens revolve and unfold, revealing hidden rooms and secret chambers, while marking the changing interiors. Evocatively lit by Kendall Smith, both set and costumes successfully capture the opulence and decadence of the period.
From all accounts revisiting Liam Scarlett’s Dangerous Liaisons has been a joy for those QB dancers who were lucky enough to be there at its creation, but also for dancers new to the work. What is evident hopefully, is that Dangerous Liaisons will continue to be a treasured gem in Queensland Ballet’s repertoire.
Denise Richardson