Venus In Fur

Provocative Broadway play Venus In Fur, by David Ives, is a case of being careful what you wish for. Director, Thomas (Gareth Reeves), has auditioned plenty of women but none fit his vision of “femininity”. He’s all but given up on finding the female lead for his adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s sadomasochistic novel, Venus In Furs, when a fast-talking actor bursts in. Her uncanny command of the material makes for a reading that shifts between acting and a power play stranger than fiction.

Director Grace Barnes’ production is gripping in its portrayal of ego and vengeance. The acting is amazing. Anna Houston sizzles as Vanda, a seemingly frazzled yet street-smart actor looking for her big break, while Gareth Reeves is every bit the arrogant director with a God-like complex.

There are some incredible moments in the 90-minute play, but patchy lighting and tinny-sounding thunder dilutes the dramatic impact. At times actors appeared off light and the colours and fluorescents fell short of doing justice to the haunting yet hilarious exchanges. A saving grace was the sparse set, simple yet effective in staging the rehearsal space – deep velvet green curtains, an exaggerated settee – although the floorboards could have been a tad darker.

The costumes made tangible the shifting master/slave relationship. Vanda’s constant dressing and undressing put the audience in point of view of the male gaze – wandering hungry eyes climax with the sight of Thomas’ attentive and tortured buckling of Vanda’s thigh-high leather boots. Oh, and that dog collar – a piece de resistance of S&M culture – switches control more than words can say.

A man’s fall from grace at the hands of a woman. It’s like Mad Max: Fury Road except with more fury, diabolical dialogue and feminist take-down.