The play, set in 1807 during the Reign of Terror as a part of the French Revolution, centers around the writings and final days of the Marquis de Sade, portrayed by Rocco Sisto, who earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.
There, he continues to write and secretly publishes his work with the help of the vivacious and curious young laundry maid, Madeleine Leclerc.
Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised the direction, performances, and writing, "[Wright] successfully blends intentional archness, grotesque exaggeration and bold humor to create a theatrical experience of real wit".
"[5] Variety theatre critic Jeremy Gerard described the production as "sensational in every sense of the word... [it's] smirky, gross-out fun with a purpose".
[9] The film was distributed by Fox Searchlight and starred Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, and Michael Caine.