VENUS IN FUR by David Ives (Canadian Stage). At the Bluma Appel (27 Front East). To October 27. $24-$99. 416-368-3110. See listing. Rating: NNN
Part of the fun of David Ives’s Venus In Fur is that it can be appreciated on several levels: theatre industry send-up, sexy-funny look at the origins of sado-masochism and thoughtful critique of gender power shifts through the ages.
It’s also a bravura acting showcase, particularly for the woman playing its lead role: Vanda, a streetwise, struggling New Yawk actor who tries to convince a playwright named Thomas that she’s right for the role of the sophisticated, imperious 19th-century woman in an adaptation of Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch’s SM classic novella, Venus In Furs.
It’s a part that requires enormous versatility – including the ability to change quickly and believably between acting styles. When done right it can win awards Nina Arianda won a Tony for the Broadway production.
Canadian Stage’s version, though adroitly directed and acted, isn’t quite as convincing. Carly Street is skilful, disciplined and watchable as Vanda – modifying her dialect, posture and attitude – but I never believed her various incarnations. Arianda made me suspend my disbelief all the way.
Perhaps this is part of director Jennifer Tarver’s production concept. Debra Hanson’s set places the action in a naturalistic rehearsal studio that floats like an island on the bare, exposed stage of the Bluma.
This causes sound issues – it’s difficult to hear some dialogue when it’s lost in the wings – but also creates a distancing effect that’s exacerbated by the size of the theatre. The intimate Berkeley Street Theatre would have been much more suitable.
Still, there’s lots to enjoy in this clever, sexy show, including the interplay between Street and Rick Miller’s Thomas – who has a complex set of psychosexual secrets himself – and the fascinating look at how personal experience is filtered through art.
There’s also one hilarious joke about the acting world, but the punchline – like the reveals about truth and fantasy – shouldn’t be spoiled.
