Watch Your Back Around the Marquise de Merteuil!
- The Court Supporters
- Jun 19, 2019
- 3 min read
Eilish Moran stars as the heartless Marquise de Merteuil in The Court’s production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Cheryl Colley talked with her about the play and about preparing for such a role.
What is the theme of Les Liaisons Dangereuses?
It depicts a very bored society, one soon to be cleansed by the French Revolution. The plot focuses on the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, rivals and ex lovers, who use sex as a weapon to humiliate and ruin the reputations of others. They really enjoy their cruel games and boasting about their manipulative talents. They have to have some way to pass the time!
What makes this play relevant today?
Certainly the scandalous novel on which the modern play is based was written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos in the eighteenth century, but the material has lost none of its power and bite. Just as with Shakespeare, the themes are universal and timeless, focusing on those emotions that are deep within us all – pride, love, revenge and jealousy.
How do you portray the Marquise?
It’s important to flesh out the character and not have her as one-dimensionally evil, calculating and heartless. I looked for the reasons behind the way she behaves. She describes herself as a self-made woman and her own creator. As a young girl Merteuil refused to let fate or society describe her and after her husband died, she set about educating herself and creating a reputation. Since then, she has remained at the top of the heap through careful manipulation, never once letting her guard down. She's deceitful and cruel, yet intelligent and witty. A lot of the time she's lying on stage, but for me it's about working out the times and they are few, when Merteuil's true self appears.
What preparation do you do for a role of this kind?
I looked at previous versions of the play – both film and on stage, particularly the latest National Theatre production at the Donmar Warehouse. But I did this well in advance of beginning my work on the play so that I could still come to the role fresh and give it my own interpretation. I also like to compare the characters I play with animals and the traits of those creatures. I see both a tiger and a snake in Merteuil.
How do you regard this role?
I am very excited to be playing the Marquise. She is a real gift for an actor and it’s the highlight of my career so far. The language of Christopher Hampton’s play is marvelous too – beautiful and clever. It’s been a huge text to learn, but it was important to do that really quickly so I could take my eyes off the page and into those of my fellow actors.
What else can we expect of this production?
Alongside all the drama, tragedy and dark comedy on the stage you can marvel at the wonderful costumes and wigs we wear. My two sumptuous gowns have each taken 40 hours to make; the wig has been specially imported and even the shoes have been authentically made from fabric. This production is definitely the poster play of the season for the theatre’s costume department.
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