Venus and Adonis at The Cutting Ball Theater

William Shakespeare; dir: Rob Melrose.

Loosely inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses, the poem VENUS AND ADONIS is Shakespeare's most erotic verse. In this titillating oral exploration of love, beauty, and sensuality, the lusty Venus seduces the young hunter Adonis. Despite her best attempts with words, kisses, and tears, the mortal Adonis prefers the thrill of the hunt over the fruits offered by the goddess. Venus warns the precocious Adonis of the danger in hunting wild beasts, but he escapes her grasp, ignores her warning, and is killed by a wild boar. Venus is left to mourn the perfection of man, now dead, having never consummated her desire.