Venus in Fur
Reviewed by Socks Whitmore
McCadden Place Theatre
Through Sept. 3
The term masochism (defined by the dictionary as “the tendency to derive pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from one’s own pain or humiliation”) is derived from the name of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian author whose association with the subject stems from the plot of his best-known work, Venus in Furs. The erotic 1870 novella made history as a work rooted in female dominance and sadomasochism, which inspired the terminology. Over the past six decades, it has been adapted into over half a dozen films, as well as one peculiar work for theater by David Ives: the notably singular Venus in Fur, a two-person play-within-a-play currently being produced by Samadahi Entertainment at the McCadden Place Theatre.
The dark comedy begins with a misogynistic rant by New York director-playwright Thomas Novachek (Mark Blanchard), who is struggling to cast his own theatrical adaptation of the German novel and preparing to head home in defeat when a last-minute contender stumbles in from the rain: Vanda (spelled Wanda) Jordan, a seemingly pushy and brash actress who insists on auditioning before Novachek leaves. Though Jordan’s initial impression is borderline obnoxious, she soon proves that she knows the material almost impossibly well—she is a perfect fit to play Vanda von Dunajew, a woman begged by the character Severin von Kusiemski to treat him as her slave. As the actress recites ever more and more of Novachek’s masochistic play, she swings wildly in and out of character to call out the story’s explicitly pornographic nature and challenge Novachek to confront his own buried desires for sexual subjugation. Novachek reads for the role of Kusiemski and, with the continued encouragement from Jordan, reality and fiction gradually become indistinguishable.
The character of Vanda Jordan (“Katyusha” Ekaterina Melnik) is a mystery for much of the show, appearing omniscient and yet with indecipherable motivation. Melnik executes her erratic moodswings with impressive versatility. As a Moscow-born performer, Melnik’s natural accent plays well into the narrative’s framework — though its lilting thickness in combination with the character’s incessant gum-chewing is too often hindersome to the audience’s understanding. Blanchard’s Novachek serves as an underwhelming contrast to the dominating Jordan, making a slow shift from realistic resistance to clumsy submission. The set and lighting design are rather unimaginative, limited by the narrative framework of an unplanned audition, and though the poster art reflects the tone of the German novel, it lacks continuity with Ives’ material and ultimately feels a little misleading.
Venus in Fur attempts to draw comparisons between attitudes towards gender, romance, emotion, and sex in 1870 versus society today, sporting intense arguments about sexism and power in-between increasingly steamy scenes from Novachek’s script. Because of Jordan’s obscured intentions, Blanchard’s direction is unclear and consistently lacks driving energy. The issue lies primarily in the premise; a dragged-out audition is ill-suited to make a full-length play, and the surplus of “reveal”/fakeout moments soon grows stale. The repetitive fakeouts are punctuated by a blindsiding plot twist finale, the improbability of which offers little payoff for the built-up suspense. It’s not entirely clear what lesson the play intends for audiences to take away — the examination of gender power dynamics appears critical of the male gaze, but also doesn’t paint Jordan as much of a relatable female archetype. While there are a few good ideas at play, this 2010 work is too long for too little.
McCadden Place Theatre, 1157 McCadden Pl., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 3 pm; thru Sept. 3. www.onstage411.com/venusinfur Running time: one hour and 45 minutes
