Conquerors and Victims

Iván Hargitai is the director of the play Dangerous Liaisons, based on the epistolar novel by Choderlos de Laclos, and on the world-famous film, written by Christopher Hampton. The director says that the play's subject matter is very timely even today. “Until there is love, this story remains valid. It would seem that this is nothing more than the fun of high society, but the truth is these sexual games and blackmailings are played by common people, too, the only question is if they have anyone to play with” – Iván Hargitai says. He adds: the desire to get into these intrigues and competitions with each other is attenuated only by society and moral conventions – the question is, are we able to resist the urges?

The director thinks that the best solution for putting the story to stage is to find a middle ground between his concept of the characters, and the actors' personality.

“A man and a woman start a game, and a young boy, a young girl and later the girl's mother fall victim to it. It's like a domino effect” – he says, adding that although these characters may appear charming and exciting, the truth is that after every meeting, only ruins remain, and the biggest victims of it all are the conquerors themselves. But what can we do when a relationship becomes dull after a while? Can we be totally in control of our bodies and souls? These dilemmas are ones that we also face day to day – says Iván Hargitai.

 

Interview by Kiss Melinda