Voyeuristic ‘Venus in Fur’ seduces viewers with laughter

Hot performances spark a new stage version of an erotic Victorian novel

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

OFF BROADWAY REVIEW

You want funny? You want sexy? Then you'll want to see "Venus in Fur."

Grab your seats now. Classic Stage Company, where "Venus in Fur" premiered Tuesday, accommodates less than 200 viewers and this bewitching show promises to be one extremely hot ticket.

Whipped up with considerable craft and smarts by the gifted David Ives, whose works have ranged from that wacky "All in the Timing" to the serious "New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza," this new 100-minute play is an imaginative modern-day riff on a naughty 1870 German novel by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.

Set in a Manhattan rehearsal hall, the two-character play involves Thomas, a writer-director auditioning women for his stage version of "Venus in Fur." He needs a classically-trained young actress to portray a 19th-century aristocrat who eventually dominates a gentleman totally - body, mind and soul.

At the end of a stormy day, Thomas has seen no one remotely suitable. Then into the room crashes Vanda, an unknown and apparently clueless actress pleading for an audition. "You don't have to tell me about sadomasochism," declares Vanda. "I'm in the theater."

By now Vanda has revealed herself in kinky scanties, including a dog collar. "Just thought I'd kinda get into the part," she explains. "I mean, it's basically S&M, right?"

Somehow convincing a very doubtful Thomas to hear her out, Vanda and the writer begin reading his play aloud. Wonder of wonders, Vanda's outer borough accents vanish and she sounds like all of the Redgraves rolled into one. What's more, Vanda convincingly portrays a poised, cultivated lady who evolves into an elegant dominatrix.

The wild contrast between brash Vanda and the classy character she tries on for size is mighty hilarious. Then as Vanda delves deeper into the erotic story with a now-intrigued Thomas, "Venus in Fur" journeys into steamy doings that at times compel the audience to a pin-drop hush.

True, some people may resist Ives' tricky story. Literalists will complain about gaps in the plot and Ives doesn't quite achieve his final effect. But it's likely that a majority of viewers at first will be tickled by the comedy and then agreeably seduced by Ives' ceaselessly surprising play, director Walter Bobbie's very sharp staging and newcomer Nina Arianda's sensational performance as Vanda.

A 2009 graduate of NYU's acting program, Arianda is a tall, rangy blond with a generous mouth and a malleable face that appears plain or beautiful as needed. Likewise her magical acting here can be comic, very real or even surreal, as demonstrated by the chameleon ways in which Arianda morphs Vanda's character back and forth from a dizzy amateur to a Victorian vixen to a, well, let's just say this fearless young artist flies mighty high. It's thrilling to see someone of such promise spread her wings so boldly.

Perhaps best known as a hottie from "American Beauty," Wes Bentley seems a bit stolid as Thomas, but as the play heats up, thankfully so does he.

The audience flanks three sides of designer John Lee Beatty's deceptively plain setting, which is lit so subtly for mood by Peter Kaczorowski you won't even notice it. Such intimate proximity to the players is perfect to appreciate the voyeuristic charms of "Venus in Fur."

"Venus in Fur" continues through Feb. 21 at Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13th St., New York. Call (866) 811-4111 or visit www.classicstage.org.