The set for Thérèse Raquin was the most versatile and complex of the performances we have attended. The backgrounds seamlessly fit into the mood of the play and the environment of the Roundabout Theater, with its tall ceilings and cabaret-style decor. The staging included windowpanes for the villa in England, an onstage river, sliding panels, an entire haberdashery set, and even a suspended room for Laurent’s living quarters. The set design demonstrates the advances of technology with its moving floorboards and props.

The sheer abundance of possibilities that the stage design crew were able to pull off on-stage, augmented by the help of sound effects and lighting, was amazing.  For example, although the audience is only able to see the second floor of the haberdashery on stage, voices from off-stage help set the scene and orient the viewers. Flickering lights could turn a bland, benign set in the first act into a terrifying nightmare in the last act.  The sets shifted with simple blackout transitions that served to move along the plot without the lengthiness of the book. All in all, the set design made the best of the space available in a manner that complemented and added fresh elements to the traditional French story.