Review: Hail the Bacchae! VENUS IN FUR is Pure Satisfaction

Despite being based on a 19th-century novel (one that uses familiar concepts from ancient civilizations for metaphoric layering, no less), Venus in Fur, by playwright David Ives, is doubtlessly a modern examination of power dynamics related to desire. Produced by Ensemble Theatre Company and directed by Andrew Barnicle, Venus in Fur offers intelligent writing, remarkable characters, and a sophisticated exploration of sexual subtleties, the art of manipulation, and the pleasures (both psychological and physical) of dominance and submission within a relationship.

Venus in Fur presents a play-within-a-play that begins with a director, Thomas (Bruce Turk), frustrated by an exhaustive search for an actress to play the erotic temptress in his stage adaptation of Venus in Furs, Sacher-Masoch's 19th-century novel of sexual dominion. When Vanda (Annie Abrams) arrives to audition, Thomas is unimpressed with her seeming lack of intellectual refinement as an actress-she's ditzy and flippant, and spouts pop-culture lingo pertinent to her modern, urban woman mystique. Thomas dismisses her immediately, but Vanda is undeterred. She exhibits an unexplained and disturbingly genuine comprehension of the power dynamic in Thomas's play, which piques his interest-both personally and professionally. They read a scene: the energy is impeccable, and the balance of power begins to turn, slowly, in Vanda's favor. She conjures the very substance of the femme fatale that Thomas has been seeking. Both Abrams and Turk give exceptional performances that coalesce in a precise equilibrium of sexual tension that fluxuates appropriately between nuanced flirtation and overt demands. This engine of curiosity and intent keeps the characters in a magnetic interaction throughout the production.

Sacher-Masoch's novel features the psychological pleasures of sexual masochism, or, as Vanda declares it, "porn." The Venus of Sacher-Masoch's novel is a divine being wrapped in fur, an old-world goddess of love, fertility, and desire. As Venus is discussed in terms of the play, so too is the concept of the Bacchae-another ancient Greek construct that symbolizes the human tendency for a dual personality: the rational side and the instinctive side (the ego to the id, in more modern terms). This instinctual side of the personality feels connection to other beings, and expresses visceral desires. The Bacchae represent the danger of ignoring one's passions: moments of indulgence can bring true satisfaction and personal power, but those urges repressed can turn destructive. "Hail the Bacchae!" Vanda demands, a war cry to mobilize the instinctiveness of sexual pleasure and a call to surrender to passion.

Venus in Fur offers intensely smoldering chemistry that becomes impossible to ignore as Thomas and Vanda test the boundaries of their interactions. It's a deliberate and inevitable dance through the layers of the play. Venus in Fur offers a strong, complex female character-one who understands the subtleties of erotic manipulation, a skill that allows her to command power over Thomas. The deft balancing act keeps the stakes in Venus in Fur potent and the interactions enticing: Ives's play is both erotic fantasy and flirtatious power struggle. Venus in Fur shows a deeply funny and entrancing view of two people navigating the maze of sexual tension, each to their own end. Complex and modern, Venus in Fur is a must-see at the New Vic!

Ensemble Theatre Company Presents:

Venus in Fur

By David Ives
Directed by Andrew Barnicle

@ The New Vic Theater
June 13-28

www.ensembletheatre.com

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