My overall impression
Having read and studied the Marquis de Sade’s works, I was worried that the production would focus only on the sensationalistic sex aspects and not the politically revolutionary parts of his works. Happily, this was not the case. In fact, most of the sex acts shown or referenced were the tamer parts of Sade. In this sense, the show did not shock, as Sade is meant to do. While some of Sade’s political views were communicated in the play, they were disconnected from the sex or you already had to understand a great deal about how the two were connected to see the connection. Sade used libertinism and sex to make arguments about overturning social and political hierarchies and while this was represented in the show, it was not the focus. In general, the play itself needed some additional scenes to add coherence to the story and establish a setting. It wasn’t until the end, for example, that I realized it was set in the present day (with a mention of Facebook). Production-wise, the acting was a bit uneven and it seemed like the cast could have used a few more rehearsals to get all cues down. Most of the actors were semi-naked or entirely naked during the production, which wasn’t a problem for me, but I felt that the nudity could have been used to more dramatic effect, particularly in the seduction of Eugenie or the ravaging of her mother.
