Venus in Fur
Written by David Ives
Directed by Joanie Schultz
Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn (map)
thru April 13 | tickets: $25-$86 | more info
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Provocative work as hilarious as it is alluring
Goodman Theatre presents
Venus in Fur
Review by Oliver Sava
David Ives’ comedy begins with a playwright/director sitting in an empty audition room on a stormy night, bemoaning the lack of sophisticated young actresses for his adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s “Venus in Furs”, the novella that permanently associated Masoch’s name with violent, dominating sexual behavior. As Thomas (Rufus Collins) prepares to leave, the flustered, energetic actress Vanda (Amanda Drinkall) enters the room, a mysterious figure with no scheduled audition time and a full copy of the script that she’s not supposed to have. Sharing a name with the female character at the center of Sacher-Masoch’s work, Vanda has an intimate understanding of both the novella and its adapter, and she reveals that knowledge as the two perform Thomas’s script and become possessed by its characters.
There’s a nightmarish quality to Ives’ script that suggests Vanda isn’t just an ordinary actress that will go to absurd lengths to get the part. Why doesn’t she have an audition slot if her agent set it up? How did she get Thomas’ script? How does she know so many intimate details about Thomas’ life and his relationship with his fiancée? Is she a figment of Thomas’ imagination? The physical embodiment of all his desires? The goddess Venus made human flesh? The script leaves Vanda’s true nature fairly ambiguous, but Drinkall’s performance is incredibly specific, navigating all the complexities of the character and making her a real human being even if she is the manifestation of one man’s creative frustration.
Drinkall and Collins have electric chemistry on stage, and it’s thrilling to see the balance of power shift between the two as they plunge further into the S&M debauchery of Sacher-Masoch’s work. Over the course of their mutual manipulation, Ives makes some intriguing insights into the nature of creativity, adapting a classic work, and most importantly, the subjugation of the sexes. While the momentum takes a bit of a dip in the second half, it skyrockets in the final moments when the characters fully give themselves over to their fictional counterparts.
One aspect of the production that doesn’t quite work is the strange sound design by Mikhail Fiksel, which incorporates ambient noise like police sirens from outside the audition room as well as music playing in the distance, and it’s difficult to tell if the sounds are coming from outside the Goodman or if they’re a part of the production. If those sounds are indeed intentional, they need to be a bit louder, because the faint noises distract from the language instead of heightening it.
Vanda doesn’t just control Thomas, but the actual theater space as well; she knows exactly how to operate the lights while Thomas pushes switches with no result. The lighting is an important part of Vanda’s power, and Keith Parham’s exquisite lighting design is perfectly modulated to set the atmosphere for each specific sequence. One particularly excellent combination of lighting and directing has Drinkall posing suggestively on a divan while she’s lit from the front, casting sexually charged shadows on the wall, making her a larger-than-life object of desire. From the design to the direction, Venus in Fur is Vanda’s show, and Drinkall’s performance gives plenty of reasons for viewers to submit to the character’s allure.
Rating: ★★★½
Venus in Fur continues through April 13th at Goodman’s Albert Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn (map), with performances Wednesdays at 7:30pm, Thursdays 2pm and 7:30pm, Fridays 2pm and 8pm, Sundays 2pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $25-$86, and are available by phone (312-443-3800) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at GoodmanTheatre.org/Venus. (Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes, no intermission.)
Photos by Liz Lauren
artists
cast
Rufus Collins (Thomas), Amanda Drinkall (Vanda)
behind the scenes
David Ives (director), Todd Rosenthal (set design), Jenny Mannis (costume design), Keith Parham (lighting design), Mikhail Fiksel (sound design), Joseph Pindelski (dramaturg), Alden Vasquez (production stage manager), Liz Lauren (photos)
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