Knowing the story of Dangerous Liaisons, and reading about Muller’s Quartett, I was ready to encounter this what seemed incredible experience.
As it turned out, the Quartett was more than I expected. Starting with the theater itself, BAM Harvey Theater, a place so rough and empty. The walls half painted, half bricked. Just by entering the mezzanine, one had the impression of being teleported into a different world. And it was just the begging of the journey.

Quartet left me so confused! I was completely captivated by the performance, but I had a really hard time understanding what was going on! I was under the impression that there would be only two actors playing different roles, and the presence of the three other characters kind of threw me off. The whole beginning scene was a little unsettling to me and the strange sound effects kind of scared me.

I still remember Quartett. I still remember how, even though I tried researching the story it was based on (Le Liaisons Dangereuses) I still was confused by the story. I remember how it was like a freakshow; wild, avant-garde, and quite edgy, and still (and probably because of this) I loved it. I loved its play between Valmont and the Marquise, not knowing who was playing who. (Valmont said he was a woman, which confused me.) I loved its lighting, its use of rock and rap (seeing Valmont rap was hilarious and fascinating) and its minimalistic yet striking sets.

I was able to watch The Nutcracker today in the library, and I remember from the various other times in my life when I saw the ballet, I loved it, and it was sort of a Christmas tradition for a few years. However, at least for the version I saw, I really didn't like it. It was sappy and insipid, overly sweet and gaudy like watching It's a Wonderful Life while listening to Pat Boone singing Christmas songs, and reading a bunch of Hallmark cards.