Los Angeles Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Antaeus double-casts its shows; the two casts alternate from performance to performance, occasionally mingling. The Libertines cast, which I saw, switches off with the Lovers. Both are talented crews, and double-casting has succeeded in many past productions. But "Liaisons" is an over-the-top melodrama, with passions so grand and dialogue so brittle and Wildean that if the actors don't generate genuine, palpable chemistry, they become caricatures."
Edge - Highly Recommended
"...This is a glorious production, with earned major respect for its courage, look, and the kinds of talents Antaeus employs."
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...Who would have imagined that a 30-year-old stage adaptation (by Christopher Hampton) of a 1782 novel (by Choderlos de Laclos) would be so devastatingly of the moment. In a time when sexual harassment, abuse, and assault are at the center of a national conversation many hope will bring about overdue societal changes, Les Liaisons Dangereuses reflects our times more aptly than anyone might wish."
LA Splash - Recommended
"...LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES has some very complex roles which are brilliantly depicted by the cast under the capable direction of Robin Larsen. Both verbally and nonverbally, they excel. Particularly the two principals will make you hate them even as you can't help but smile at their machinations. Although the action is set at the end of the eighteenth century, the fundamental issues are ones which will resonate with contemporary audiences - the exploitation of women, the inequality of the sexes when it comes to shame and blame, the blind eye paid to the "upper one percent" when breaking society's rules, and the role and justification of revenge."
Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended
"...Decadence and deception prove downright delicious in The Antaeus Theatre Company's pitch-perfectly partner-cast Les Liaisons Dangeureuses, Christopher Hampton's 1985 stage adaptation of the 18th-century French literary classic directed with supreme flair by Robin Larsen."
On Stage Los Angeles - Highly Recommended
"...
This excellent Antaeus production maintains their own reputation for fine theatre. Nam's stark scenic design helps to bring the story, dark and oddly rich in color to life."
Culture Spot LA - Highly Recommended
"...Like any morality play worth its salt, Merteuil and Valmont get what's coming to them in the end... well, at least Valmont does, quite permanently. In the 1988 film, Merteuil is exposed as a deceitful manipulator and is snubbed in society; in the book, she contracts smallpox, leaving her face horribly scarred thus exterminating her beauty forever. Curiously, in this play, the fate of Merteuil seems unclear after Valmont's demise. The play just ends without any kind of terrible denouement for her. But nevermind. Antaeus' Les Liaisons Dangereuses is one of the theatrical standouts of the season and is heartily recommended."
Gia on the Move - Highly Recommended
"...Here Larsen employs a superior, accurate script. (Antaeus Libertines cast) A more cruel Le Vicomte de Valmont (Henri Lubatti); a far colder, self-possessed La Marquise de Merteuil (Reiko Aylesworth) playing for higher stakes than just petty revenge; a less laughably hysterical, very practical Madame de Volanges (Dylan Jones); a rather wretched, amoral Chevalier Danceny (Josh Breslow) and a distinctly naive, completely non-sexualized Cecile (Elizabeth Rian), who is so innocent of her own body, she tragically, by all accounts of her cloistered convent upbringing and instructions in purity from her mother, doesn't even possess a language, conceptual idea or defense for forced penetration, ongoing molestation, PTSD, depression, unwanted pregnancy or sudden miscarriage."
Stage Raw - Recommended
"...Ferrara has a firm grasp of the comic potential of his role, and he uses it to deliver ripe double entendres. He's best slithering across the stage, parrying resistance with aggression and calculated deference. But when the louche Valmont falls in love with his intended prey, Ferrara conveys genuine emotion as a man unbalanced by his own vulnerability. Mirto is equally good, though more understated, as the elegant Marquise, the drawing room version of Cersei Lannister. Mirto is adept at softening her viciousness in polite company with a self-deprecating laugh, and she looks regal in Jocelyn Hublau Parker's costume - a wink at a character who dresses like a lady but draws blood like a man. After a brief warm-up on opening night, she and Ferrara found their rhythm, and their recurring tête-à-têtes as the bet progresses are the show's greatest pleasure. Mirto occasionally seemed stiff with the physical intimacies of the role, though that may have been a calculated coolness."
Theatre Notes - Highly Recommended
"...Antaeus Theatre Company's Les Liaisons Dangereuses is powerful theatre with an excellent cast under the sure handed direction of Robin Larsen. The open set and splendid projections by Yee Eun Nam is simple, with elegant touches like the marble floor that looks appropriately rich."
Haines His Way - Highly Recommended
"...For all the passion in the words and deeds of Hampton's characters, director Robin Larsen's production is very sterile, frigid and barren. The modern dress approach of Jocelyn Hublau Parker's costumes and Yee Eun Nam's scenic & projection design may be part of the problem or it may be that Larsen feels these characters joyous and vicious approach to sex is inappropriate in the age of Trump and Weinstein. If that is so, it's a shame because it robs these characters of their raison d'etre. The cast contains fine actors but the spark that should ignite the audience into gasps is missing. Aylesworth nails La Marquise perfectly but she seems to be playing in a vacuum or just playing without exciting playmates."
That Awesome Theatre Blog - Highly Recommended
"...This is a highly entertaining and noteworthy production of a complex and beautifully written play. It stays the course, slowly sinks its teeth in, and makes an impression. And at 2 hours and 45 minutes it doesn't outstay it's welcome nor drag its feet. It's solid theatrical entertainment."
On Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended
"...As usual, Antaeus is doing fine work here. The actors (as always, all roles are partner-cast-I saw "The Libertines" for this review) are strong, the design elements solid, and efforts were certainly made in the production to bring the story into the 21st century and keep things interesting throughout the rather lengthy running time of two hours and 30 minutes. But there is ultimately much about the story that cannot help but feel dated."
Los Angeles Post-Examiner - Recommended
"...The performance of Scott Ferrara in character as Le Viconte de Valmont is absolutely brilliant with a constant display of disgusting but exquisitely delivered efforts to verbally control the targets of his desires. You may well hate the intentions and the pain and suffering he causes but you will be forever impressed by his extraordinary, if albeit on some level wildly dark talent."
