Venus in Fur

ImagesWe went to see Venus in Fur Saturday afternoon.  Thinking we will do more afternoon theater this year. I like it.  

The show is being put on by the Manhattan Theater Club.  The play is dark, funny and sexual all wrapped into one.  An budding actress shows up hours late to an audition to find herself alone with the playwright.  Eventually they act out the play over the course of the production as their interaction swings back and forth from the play to the present.  Both almost become the same. 

There was a recent article in the New Yorker about the young woman, Nina Arianda, who plays the main female character.  The article was about how what a gem Nina is and the talent that literally oozes out of her body.  I can confirm that article.  I felt like I was watching a star being born.  She not only has a killer body she is confident, funny, sexy and honestly just brilliant as an actor.  Hugh Dancy who plays the male lead is no slouch himself.

I didn't love the play as much as I was just wowed by the performances.  I am sure that years from now I will say that we saw Nina when she first came on Broadway.  This woman is going to be a star. 

Comments (Archived):

  1. Steven

    I was hoping you would post about Venus in Fur. I tired to nudge you when I referred to the play in my comment to your recent post about the development officer ignoring you (which I suggested was a Venus in Fur theme) but the connection between your post and the play was admittedly a stretch and you did not take the bait.  After the Saturday show the actors and the playwright did a  Q & A with those audience members who stayed to participate or listen. (Fun to see the actors step out of role without script – delightful).It is really two plays in one and has an almost magical way of traveling back and forth in time. In the first half we see a dazzling, off beat, uninhibited, exciting, sexy, intriguing actress manipulate a rather uptight, intellectual playwright into allowing her to audition by pretending to dittzyness as a way to get what she wants and needs from the (pretending to powerful) auteur. But who really has the upper hand?  A very modern not uncommon dance of attraction, intrigue, manipulation, assumption and relationship. In the second half we are transported back and forth in time into and back out of the historical  play she has auditioned for – another sort of dance between a man and woman involved in a sado-masochistic relationship that also makes us wonder who has the upper hand. The second half mirrors in explicit sexual ways what transpired in the first half in disguised (repressed?), civilized fashion.Happens every day. 

    1. Gotham Gal

      You describe it perfectly. Brilliant play. We were there the same Saturday where the actors spoke afterward. Unfortunately we had to leave. Sounds amazing.

  2. tyronerubin

    On Brad Feld’s blog I saw he had some grammer police and seemed to be taken in a good way by the community. He seemed to be all for it.Thought I would don the cop hat today, hoping its not a bad thing to do.”An budding actress”

    1. Gotham Gal

      i am in desperate need of a grammar police. totally aware of it. thanks.