Venus in Fur
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Cititour.com Review
Shocking and absorbing, brilliantly constructed with intelligent direction from Walter Bobbie, David Ives' Venus in Fur, a transfer from CSC Off-Broadway, explodes onto the stage at Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway arm with the precision of a perfectly timed device. At its core is the sexy, breathtaking allure of Nina Arianda, (Born Yesterday) and the equally sensuous power of British actor Hugh Dancy.
Ives' conceit is that of a writer-director (Dancy) casting his adaptation of the book Venus in Furs, by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and in so doing, playing scenes from the production with the actress called in for the part. Enter Arianda (as Vanda). From this starting point the script slips and slides from the current audition on a dark and stormy night--cue lighting designer Peter Kaczorowki's eerie thunder and lightning--to the S&M lust of characters from the 19th century. The titillation factor takes a backseat to the psychological power play as the characters pursue one another with cat-and-mouse vigor.
Arianda plays both the actress Vanda and the fine lady in the play-within-a-play, with astonishing power. Her grasp of comedic timing transcends finely tuned as she struts, finesses, seduces and ultimately dominates her partner. Dancy is equally catlike in the way he skulks from the audition table to the floor, subjugating himself to both his co-star and his 19th-century twin.
Venus in Fur, at just over 90 minutes, is not for the faint of heart. Ives infuses his play with dark humor and mysterious circumstances which add the layer of a ghostly tale. Venus in Fur is a creepy but electrifying evening in the theater.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.venusinfurbroadway.com
Cast
Nina Arianda, Hugh Dancy
Open/Close Dates
Opening 2/7/2012
Closing 6/17/2012
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Lyceum Theatre
149 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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