THEATRE REVIEW: BLACK SWAN THEATRE’S VENUS IN FUR

THEATRE REVIEW: BLACK SWAN THEATRE’S VENUS IN FUR
Directed by
Starring
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8.5/10

Black Swan Theatre Group’s presentation of Venus In Fur is impressively acted and presented in the small Underground Theatre, with [actors] giving the two-person psychosexual drama humour, tension and humanity.

A play within a play, Venus In Fur sees young actress Vanda forcing an audition upon screenwriter/director Thomas, who is burnt out after a long day of failed auditions for his interpretation of the 1870 novel Venus In Furs, which gave rise to the term masochism.

Vanda immediately challenges and intrigues Thomas with her uncanny insights into the work, and she quickly coerces him into reading the male role in the piece. Little by little they both immerse themselves into the roles, allowing the sado-masochistic relationship of the characters to bleed into real life.

As power switches between Vanda & Thomas, Vanda deftly switches genders mid-stream to retain control over Thomas, now slavishly hooked outside of the fiction, just as Severin was in the play.

The overtly erotic work is never played for titillation or exploitation: it’s ambitions are loftier – a razor-sharp exploration of sexual and emotional tension.

Category: Movie & Theatre Reviews