When I left the Harvey theater after seeing Quartett, my emotions were of a mixed miriad. I didn't really know what to think and how to possibly start dissecting the many frustrating aspects of Quartett. This was the general response form my peers as well, in face, no one knew how to interpret or understand what they had just seen. There was just no fluidity or cohesion between any of the many theatrical parts we had just seen thrown together on stage. 

I must say, apart from the play itself, I was frustrated with the choice of language. And its not that I didn't love the parallel of the sensuous french language and the sexual conflict between the characters, it was that I couldn't read the english translation while simultaneously watch the entire play. Maybe this holds true only for the section where I was sitting, but the top part of the stage, where the translation appeared seemed miles away from the stage itself. Therefore, I had to look up at the translation, read it and then stretch my head downwards to see if I could catch the actors emotions and/or actions whilst saying the lines. It was pretty frustrating for me, I felt like I missed out on so much of the play due to this inconvenience.

As for the play itself, it was just bizarre. And it was meant to be that way. For this reason, Mueller decided to write the play that he did, because its supposed to trample the "realistic" sense of American theater and dissociate the different aspects of the theatric play that would make it seem as so. Many times during the play, I found myself trying to "figure out" what was happening or how to "get" the play. Honestly, after a while, I stopped myself and gave up because its not a play to understand. It's a play to experience. So, I just sat back and let it take me into the unknown of their mysterious and unidentifiable world, and it actually turned out to be a pleasant experience. I laughed at the terrible promiscuousness between Valmont and his niece as well the crude humor between Mertuil and Valmont and the way in which they kept switching roles and acting as the other. I thought the sexual dialogue between Valmont and his neice, played by Mertuil, was extremely effective. It utilized the Catholic religion and cites from the bible and twisted it into some perverse innuendos.

Overall, the play was quite magnificent, although many of its aspects were startling, especially the sharp beat sounds among others, but I think its this startling aspect that the play is supposed to convey. I believe this production of Quartett was pretty successful.