"Seduction..." is yet another adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's play "La Ronde." Written at the beginning of the 20th century, the earlier play consists of a series of interconnected scenes examining sexual desire and social status. Deemed obscene and causing a scandal in its day, "La Ronde" has since been, among other things, made into a film, used as the basis for the play "The Blue Room" by David Hare, and turned into a musical, "Hello Again," by Michael John LaChiusa.
Now, playwright Jack Heifner, who enjoyed overwhelming success in the 1970s with his long-running comedy "Vanities," has created what he subtitles "a gay interpretation of 'La Ronde.' " It is being performed here by a British company.
Unfortunately, Heifner's characters are not compelling. It was Schnitzler's intention to write about the isolation and melancholia that can be a part of the sexual encounter, but the men here come off as merely uninteresting -- their needs hollow, their lives vacuous. Spending even 90 minutes with this charmless, sorry lot begins to feel interminable.
The British cast members -- Adam Blake, Richard Gee, Phil Price, Peter Sundby, Graham Townsend, and Gareth Watkins -- all play multiple roles, though none rises above the material. James Galloway provides the simple, functional set pieces.