Quartett
Part of the 2009 Next Wave Festival
Nov 4—7, 10—14 at 7:30pm
Nov 8 at 3pm
By Heiner Müller
Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe
Conceived and directed by Robert Wilson
Music by Michael Galasso
Quartett is the annual Richard B. Fisher Next Wave Presentation, which receives special support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
"...a towering figure in the world of experimental theater...Mr. Wilson is a paradigm of precision." —The New York Times
Vindication and malicious intents have never been more rapturous than in director Robert Wilson's Quartett. Written by German playwright Heiner Müller (as a highly condensed adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses), this work is an extraordinary expression of innocence lost.
The incomparable French actress Isabelle Huppert (I ♥ Huckabees, 8 Women, The Piano Teacher) is the toxic Marquise de Merteuil, seething with fury opposite her perverse partner in crime Valmont, played with marvelous physicality by Ariel Garcia Valdès. As Wilson unfurls his stylized choreography and tableaux motifs with stark sounds and saturated colors, he transforms every calculated movement into gorgeous and provocative studies of character.
BAM Harvey Theater
105min, no intermission
Tickets: $25, 45, 65, 75
In French with English titles
Set and lighting by Robert Wilson
Translated by Jean Jourdheuil and Béatrice Perregaux
Costume design by Frida Parmeggiani
Co-direction by Ann-Christin Rommen
Lighting design by AJ Weissbard
Make-up design by Luc Verschueren
Scenic design by Stephanie Engeln
Co-produced by La Comédie De Genève and Théâtre du Gymnase/Marseille production.
Official Homepage: Heiner Muller
The curriculum vitae of the essential German playwright.
Interview: Isabelle Huppert
The actress discusses her new film Home, about a resolute mother.
Official Homepage: Robert Wilson
Read about all things Robert Wilson, including his ambitious Watermill Center.