Provocative, complex and pretty close to perfect
Venus in Fur
(out of 4) By David Ives. Directed by Jennifer Tarver. Until Oct. 27 at the Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-368-3110 or canadianstage.com
It’s sexy, sophisticated and side-splittingly funny.
Those are just a few of the words that come to mind when describing Venus in Fur, the play by David Ives that has launched the current season at Canadian Stage in fine style.
Everything about this production is pretty damn close to perfect and if I were you, I’d book my tickets immediately.
And if I were Carly Street, whose performance in the title role generates more star power than I’ve seen in this city in ages, I’d start preparing my acceptance speeches for award season right now. She’s that good.
Not many plays can generate waves of laughter along with unsettling ripples of erotic provocation. This one not only does both but achieves a trifecta in also giving you lots of unsettling thoughts to take home.
Don’t get me wrong. Venus in Fur is more than mere confectionary, although its outer layer of fluffy vanilla delight gives way to something darker and much more satisfying when you get deep inside.
Plot? Simple, but complex. Playwright-director Thomas is having auditions for his latest play, based on the famed erotic German novel, Venus in Furs, which kind of serves as The Book of Common Prayerfor sadomasochism.
At the end of a frustrating day in which no woman has come up to Thomas’s unrealistic (and stunningly sexist) expectations, lighting flashes and a kooky young woman bursts onto Debra Hanson’s perfect set: Dr. Frankenstein’s lab masquerading as a rehearsal hall.
This unexpected visitor not only shares the same first name (Vonda) of the play’s heroine, but she’s inexplicably gotten a copy of the full script and knows it by heart, although she claims to have only read it on the subway.
From that intriguing beginning, things take off rapidly and you’d be well advised to fasten your seatbelts, because, as Bette Davis says in All About Eve, “It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
I thought about the Davis film during Venus in Fur, because it too features an aspiring actress who will do anything to get a role. There are also echoes of One Touch of Venus, where a statue of the goddess comes to life and even the movie, Mannequin, where Kim Cattrall becomes the classical love symbol via a department store dummy.
But Venus in Furis far more provocative than these other works and the allusions Ives makes are more likely to include The Bacchae, that play about sexual passion unleashed to cause destruction.
I must confess I avoided the show during its recent Broadway run. The reviews made it sound too cutely clever and its Tony Award-winning star, Nina Arianda, hadn’t really impressed me in other appearances. But I’m pretty sure that nothing about that production could have been better than what we’re lucky enough to have on display here. Jennifer Tarver’s laser-sharp direction illuminates every element of the script to perfection and makes her actors look terrific. Rick Miller is best known for shows like MacHomer where he plays dozens of characters. Here he plays just one, but gives him a multiplicity of levels. The arrogant man-child who’s secretly crying out to be dominated by a powerful woman isn’t easy to play but Miller does it beautifully. Of course, he does have the sizzling Carly Street to partner him. Street has given some great performances ( Intimate Apparel, Bloodless), but she’s always seem constrained by her material, waiting to break out. The character of Vonda unlocks the wealth of talent inside her. She’s stunningly attractive one moment, sublimely klutzy the next. She mocks the idea of herself as sexual image, then makes you helpless before her erotic power. Come to think of it, that’s what Marilyn Monroe did. As Street and Miller take the play to its mind-blowing, X-rated conclusion, you’ll be with them every step of the way. Spend the night with Venus in Fur. It’s one hookup you won’t regret.