Venus in Fur
Image: Credit: Helen White
There’s a real power struggle at the heart of this play. Two very dynamic individuals who have very strong ideas about how to live an authentic life, and they clash. It’s about power and sexuality.
Venus in Fur is a provocative work, it’s quite a dangerous play. People can expect to be entertained, charmed and challenged. It’s very funny, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily an easy night at the theatre. The play asks you to come to it and invest in it. But overall it’s incredibly intelligent and incredibly funny. It will speak to a lot of people.
It flips between genres. It’s demanding, but that makes it rewarding. When asked how she deals with the sexuality required of the role, Anna Houston who plays Vanda, explains: “You just have to commit to the story and being in the moment. As an actor you can’t really hold anything back, you have to really give yourself to the storytelling. Sexuality is a really important part of telling that story, in making that literal for the audience. The sexuality is no different to the comedy or pathos, it’s just another ingredient that’s in the mix. Sexuality is defined in many different ways and what’s sexy or thrilling or provocative to some is not to others. The hope is that everyone comes away from the play with something different.”
She continues: “It’s a great experience for an audience to have talking points post show. I hope people have a good robust chat about it, with different interpretations of the story, different ideas about who these people are and what they want to do to each other – that’s a good pay off.” (MS)
Until July 5. Eternity Playhouse, 39 Burton Street, Darlinghurst. $30-$45. Tickets & info: www.darlinghursttheatre.com or 02 8356 9987.
