magnificently staged, extravagantly costumed

August 10, 2003 performance reviewed by Frances Benn Hall

The Game, a world premier musical based on de Lacolos' risque novel Les Liasons Dangereuses is being given a flamboyant production on the BSC stage. Under the dynamic, insightful, and creative direction of Julianne Boyd, the play is magnificently staged, extravagantly costumed, and well cast.

The game being played is a cruel one in which two jaded lovers, Merteuil (Sara Ramirez) and Valmont (Christopher Innvar), for vengeance and amusement, wantonly destroy innocent lives and loves.

Merreuil enlists Valmont to seduce Cecile (Cristen Boyle), a wide-eyed innocent recently sprung from convent life and unaware of the ways of the world. He complies, rather wearily, because he is more interested in seeing if he can induce a pure and spiritual young wife, Mme. Torvel (Heather Ayers) to sleep with him.

The machinations of the villianous pair are corrupt, erotc, and successful. The play darkens as it develops and by the end results in tragedy. The abandoned but virtuous wife is driven to suicidal madness and the eager and innocent Celeste is returned, disgraced, to her convent. Valmont dies in a duel and Merteuil is left with her empty life.

These event are played out on opulent, frequently changed stage settings, all meticulously 18th century classical balance, be it an opera house or a garden. The bed occurs frequently as one might expect in this erotic play - always dead center and occupied, balanced by great hanging drapes. While it is the setting for seductions, the scenes played on it offer violently different moods. At one time, it is sheer comedy as Valmont writes a seduction letter to one woman on the back of another woman in his bed.

In the second act, on a darker note, it is the site of a powerful solo "My Sin" by the seduced wife Mme. Tourvel.

Other erotic scenes occur in the boudoir of Merteuil, on a chaise lounge located near the down-right proscenium, and even the the down-left balancing grand piano can provide a site for romance.

For all its risque behavior, the play contains no nudity and the sex is not that blatant.

The music by Megan Cavallari, the book and lyrics by Amy Powers and David Topchik carry the performance. Every lead character shines in solo or duet and the large company numbers are beautifully choreographed and sung. The music tends to remind one of Sondheim, more modern than 18th century.

This is obviously the play of the summer at BSC, the one into which they have poured all their resources. The costumes (over 100 for the 14 actors) alone are worth a trip to the play. And despite the wickedness of the plot, the acting and singing are so engaging that the play works.