Director Harri Thomas asks at the top of the programme “Who will you be and who will you be with after the end?” This question and more are answered in their remarkable production of Heiner Müller’s Quartet. Presented in association with VideoCabaret Quartet, and the art instillation in which it takes place, has enveloped the space in a plastic dystopia of tarps and screens, mannequins and body harnesses. Quartet is a poignant, moving piece and features two incredibly talented actors bringing this breathtaking story to life.

Quartet is a one-act play written by German playwright Heiner Müller. The two characters are based on two of the lovers from “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” by Pierre Cholderlos de Laclos. The audience joins our characters after some kind of catastrophic event; the stage directions say that it is a “Drawing room before the French revolution” but also an “Air raid shelter after World War II”. Now that these characters find themselves in a world devoid of the rules and regulations which they are accustomed to, they take the opportunity to try on other lives, other ways of being, and in the process discover and destroy themselves. The translation by Marc Von Henning used for this production keeps the elevated diction we would expect from courtiers, allowing the audience to get swept away by the poetical language.

There is a very risqué element to Quartet; it heightens and intensifies the posturing and flirting which occurs in the source text. I love how it’s all taken to the next level now that society’s expectations are out the window. They play with their gender and sexuality fluidly, but I also enjoyed the touchstone moments where we could tell that they were switching between their make-believe games and their initial characters. The fact that the two actors are dressed exactly alike, creating a mirror for one another is a beautiful representation of their core reason for not being together; they are truly too much alike and now they even look it as they explore their deepest and more beastly desires.

Eija Loponen-Stephenson’s design for this production is cohesive in its chaos, bringing together the vintage and new, kinky and commonplace into one fantastical space for the play to take place. Before the performance begins, the audience is invited to take some time to explore the instillation before they find their seats. In doing so one discovers the tiny details which have gone into creating this immersive world in which we are to experience the play. I particularly loved how the dress Valmont dons when he’s playing Madame Tourvel was displayed amongst the set; it appears as merely another plastic-encased object amongst the rest, and it wasn’t until the actor climbed the ladder to put the dress on that I understood its purpose. It’s a delightful surprise expertly concealed within the set.

The use of cameras, live projections, and screens functions beautifully within the context of the play as well as the space. It gives this constant feeling of voyeurism; like they’re putting these secret and naughty things on display and maybe we shouldn’t be watching. However, on a practical level it also allows the performers to be seen by the whole audience no matter where they’re sitting. You’ll either be able to see the performers themselves, or the video/projection of them on one of the many screens or tarps. It adds another level to the immersion as well; there are moments which are difficult to watch, and yet it’s impossible to look away without the image being somewhere else. I also enjoyed the loop machine which is used to create haunting melodies and songs performed by the actors. It adds to the feeling of inevitability which I think this story has while also allowing for some spine-chilling ambiance.

The performances in Quartet are simply stunning; their mastery of this difficult, and often lengthy, text is incredible. Silvæ Mercedes plays Merteuil, the Marchioness. From their first emergence from the bathtub to the final moments of the play, they’re never off-stage, and give an engaging, nuanced performance. Sebastian Marziali plays Valmont, a promiscuous courtier. Marziali’s performance tears at your heartstrings, and their stage presence is unmissable. Their chemistry together is palpable; there are moments that are so hot I’m shocked the plastic all around them didn’t melt. And yet there are other moments so heartbreakingly sad it brings a tear to your eye.

Quartet will certainly keep you warm on these cold winter days. Emotionally engaging in myriad ways, this is certainly a production you won’t want to miss! It runs at VideoCabaret until January 21st. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.otherhearts.ca/quartet

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Cover photo: Silvæ Mercedes and Sebastian Marziali. Photo by Michael Cooper

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