The title of playwright Christopher Hampton's revival of his once acclaimed play is perhaps the production's most sensual and genuinely provocative attribute.

Spanning nearly two and a half hours, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, or Dangerous Liaisons, directed by Daniel Goldstein, is the current main stage production at Boston's famed Huntington Theatre Company.

An adaptation from the classic 1782 French novel penned by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, this revival of the 1986 original play, which first hit the eminent theatre capitols of New York's Broadway and London's West End, lost a bit of its sexiness along the twenty year way, making the most exciting part of the production the fifteen minute intermission.

The plot of Liaisons is primarily forged by two characters: La Marquise de Merteuil and her longtime conspirator/lover/frenemy Le Vicomete de Valmont--who we'll refer to as The Marquise and Valmont respectively so as not to add confusion to insult.

Set in late 18th century France, the story is fueled by the drama that erupts in the interwoven relationships between a motley crew of impressionable socialites drawn into the protagonists' webs.

The Marquise devotes most of her attention to ruining the reputation of a daft teenager named Cecile Volanges, while Valmont has his eyes set on devirginizing the chaste La Presidente de Tourvel.

The production deals with such complicated issues as social class and morality through the guise of sexuality.

Other themes include the risks for promiscuity, concern for reputation, societal gender roles, and the longing to find happiness in a pathologically unLromantic world. Each character struggles to define his/her identity by exploring and manipulating the frailties of their paramours, only to discover that their intentions neverproduce a desired outcome.

It's these, among a number of other highly relevant themes in the play's text, that perhaps make the Huntington's revival so frustrating--it undoubtedly has the elements to achieve greatness, as evident from the original productions' acclaim, but the drama about intimacy ironically lacks any sort of warmth on the Boston stage.

Even more bewildering about the leaden Liaisons, is the credentials of the entire cast and crew.

From the leading performers to the costumer and even the casting director, all involved have impressive resumes to say the least.

Michael T. Weiss (Valmont) was the lead in NBC's cult drama "The Pretender" for four seasons, in which he more than exhibited his versatility by playing over 100 characters in the show's respectable four season run.

Meanwhile, Tasha Lawrence (The Marquise) has appeared in a number of theatrical productions including the national tour of Proof, in addition to being a regular on "Third Watch" and appearing on all versions of the "Law and Order" franchise.

Both leads are incredibly sexy, but somehow a show entirely about sex managed to diminish their appeal.

All signs for the play's difficulties seem to point to director Daniel Goldstein's lack of attention to detail.

Liaisons comes across very much like a low-budget community theater production, complete with accent inconsistencies, costume period faux pas, and choppy staging.

When a courtesan sashays on the stage wearing a nearly neon polyester colored tweed garment, one has to wonder where her character might've picked up an outfit with material that wasn't invented for another couple of centuries. Picky costume criticisms aside, the production lacks passion.

Lovers kiss like they were relatives, while other physical interactions (sword fighting, embracing) are ice cold. In a show that became famous for its provocative nature in 1986, one might expect that it could've juiced up more two decades later. Even a brief scene of full frontal female nudity lacks any fluidity, seeming to pop out of nowhere and feeling like a Lolita-esque seduction gone awry.

Both recent film adaptations certainly blew this monotonous stage version out of the water.

In 1988, Dangerous Liaisons starring John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Glen Close and Uma Thurman opened to massive critical acclaim, being nominated for and winning a great deal of awards including--to Christopher Hampton's credit--Oscar, BAFTA, and Writers Guild of America trophies for "Best Screenplay."

Even 1999's low brow, gaudy, yet painfully entertaining Cruel Intentions was a better representation of the novel's intent.

So if it wasn't the writing, and the casting wasn't completely amiss, what is really to blame for this flat theatrical endeavor?

If there's one thing that is for sure however, it's that a revival is meant to breathe life into an original production, while all the Huntington's Les Liaisons Dangereuses managed to do was deaden an already vibrant story.

If you're looking to immerse yourself in this classic piece of literature, hop over to your local video store or library before you waste as much as $65 on a ticket.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses is playing at the Huntington Theatre Company on the Boston University Theatre Mainstage through February 5, 2006.