Premiere: 23. February 2024
“Never fall in love!”—with this obviously unrealistic piece of advice, Choderlos de Laclos’ character, Vicomte de Valmont, secured his place in literary history. Valmont is one of the protagonists of Dangerous Liasisons, a novel that has inspired countless film and stage adaptations. For Valmont, falling in love is contrary to his very nature: he finds pleasure in harm, deceit, and the corruption of innocent souls. This is especially true when he finds a “worthy” companion in Marquise de Merteuil, who proves to be the perfect partner – for a while – in the vicomte’s love-free intrigues. But only while convenient…
Director Csaba Kiss, who is deeply committed to the novel, envisions the unfolding of this love polygon as a passionate social game of sorts —a game in which we witness every player’s “move,” driven on the one hand by lust and on the other by burnout. Bianca Imelda Jeremias’ imagery, combined with Adrián Kovács’s music, takes the audience back to late 18th-century France in a way that speaks to the present.
Director: Csaba Kiss
The production, despite sharing several creators, including director Csaba Kiss and composer Adrián Kovács, is not identical to the musical version performed at the Budapest Operetta Theatre.
