Sex is everywhere. It’s in ads, on TV and in the cereal aisle (Sexcereal, as seen Dragons’ Den). But are we really having honest conversations with our partners about what we want and need? With the craze of 50 Shades of Grey behind us, the stage has been well set for the theatrical adaptation of the original 1870 novella by Austrian writer Leopold Ritter van Sacher-Masoch, Venus in Fur.
Venus in Fur has been called “quick witted, seductive and kinky.” The hit of last year’s Broadway season and a Tony Award nominee, Venus is a treat of a blockbuster to start the MTC Warehouse season. Written by playwright David Ives, his characters, Thomas Noachek and Vanda Jordan, are designed to have chemistry on stage and actors Allison Brennan and Mathew Edison deliver in spades.
Venus is a play within a play between a director and actress who read the play through, after some convincing from Vanda, at the end of a stormy night. Vanda’s quirky and foul mouthed attitude seem to be a horrible fit for the role of the play’s version but Brennan’s amazingly physical performance persuades the director as much as the audience. She slowly transitions into the confident role of Dominatrix Vanda leaving the director Thomas in her wake.
The play is not merely provocative but was well received by critics (four and a half stars from the Free Press’Prokosh). My friend Andrea and I were buzzing after we left, full of questions and great conversation.
Plainly defined, Sadomasochism is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation. Current day subscribers take issue with the way Masoch’s dehumanizes. As Breannan empathetically observes, “It takes a very brave person to state clearly what they want sexually.”
Breannan’s own confidence can be felt on- and off-stage, making her perfect for the role even though when she read for the part she wasn’t instantly convinced. A film and TV native, Brennan has fallen in love with theater all over again. It doesn’t hurt that when asked about her costar Edison she says coyly, “if you are going to be trapped in a room for eight hours a day, this is the guy.”
Venus in Fur is no ordinary night at the theater. It will leave you thinking and if you’re really lucky, talking about what you could be stating more clearly. 
*What is the raciest piece of live theater you’ve ever seen? Comment to win a pair of tickets to the November 8th performance at 7:30pm. Draw on November 6th.
Photos by Dylan Hewlett for MTC
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