Hilarious. thought-provoking, and slightly sexual – those were my thoughts as I left the Bluma Appel Theatre after seeing Venus In Fur, a contemporary American S&M-filled play written by David Ives.
Adapted by director Jennifer Tarver, the two-character play is about a playwright-director, Thomas (played by Rick Miller), who has adapted Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s classic erotic sadomasochistic novella Venus in Furs for the stage. The novella, which is about a man named Severin, who wishes to submit to the pain and humiliation inflicted on him by his lover Wanda, inspired term “masochism.”
The play raises questions about the representation of women in literature and drama. The play- within-a-play and roles-within- roles format forces us to ask how much has really changed since 1970. Even if a woman is sexually dominant, like Venus herself, does her power rely only on what she can exert out of a man?
These issues are clearly and easily theatricalized in the play, as the chemistry between Miller and Street is astounding. Street in particular is an important asset for this production, considering her ability to smoothly alternate between characters and accents. She exhibits jaw-dropping undulation of erotic provocation; this was a Tony-worthy performance.
In addition, lighting design (Michael Walton) was thematic and used as a tool to theatricalize the play’s major themes and issues. As the line between fiction and reality was quickly blurred for Thomas and Wanda, the lighting no longer dimmed when the characters acted out the script. This created an ambiguity of time and space that Venus in Fur required.
Venus in Fur had the right mix of S&M, eroticism and comedy to examine major issues and still remain entertaining. I have to say, if you miss Tarver’s Toronto pro- duction this fall, you missed out.
Soraya Kouchak
Contributor
