Marquis de Sade’s Masquerade

The dissolute and illicit biography of Marquis de Sade has inspired many to write about his life. The famous Russian theatre journalist and dramaturg, Andrey Maksimov, is among those roused by the biography of the notorious sinner and man whose name gives origin to ‘sadism’.

However, once we strip away the charged sexuality of the piece (shown with subtilty and grace, as to be expected of the director), we immediately see Roman Viktyuk’s intentional emphasis on the relationship between artist vs. power. Perhaps not an obvious underpinning theme in the story of de Sade, it is elaborated on through de Sade’s struggle with maintaining his artistic integrity in a political context of constant change and polarising values.