Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses set for National Theatre revival

Christopher Hampton, who celebrates his 80th birthday this month, is seeing his celebrated version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses due to be revived at the National Theatre, with Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner reported to star.

Hampton has been described as "the quiet man of British theatre", less given to public polemic than some contemporaries and noted for a classical style marked by objectivity, lucidity and irony. The writer’s work, the author of the piece says, is essentially political and often explores a persistent tension between radicals and liberals — a theme Hampton himself has acknowledged.

The essay argues Hampton balances sympathy across contrasting characters and creates vivid roles for women. His version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses is called a radical reinvention of the epistolary novel, presenting the Marquise de Merteuil as "one of the most coldly demonic women in all drama" and tracing how the "mathematics of seduction" is undermined by the "unstoppable power of love."

The revival at the National is described as imminent. The writer suggests Les Liaisons Dangereuses may be Hampton’s masterpiece and says, as he enters his ninth decade, a better description of him might be "the classical survivor."

Key Topics

Culture, Christopher Hampton, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, National Theatre, Lesley Manville, Aidan Turner