ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — “Venus in Fur,” directed by Jeff Catanese and starring Kate McGunagle and Alex McDonald Villarreal, is an intimate, psychological two-hander about sadomasochism, 19th century literature and the power dynamics between actors and their directors.
The show features lighting design by Rachel Cort, costumes by McKinney Gough, intimacy and fight coordination by Gabby Bailey, sound design by Roger Bindy and set design by Falluja Rain. McGunagle stars as Vanda and Villarreal as Thomas.
The Attic Salt Theatre Company play will run through this weekend, April 24-26. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The show lasts an hour and 55 minutes without intermission and contains adult themes and strong language. Find tickets here.
“Venus in Fur” review
For fans of Attic Salt, a lot about “Venus in Fur” will feel familiar. The show shares a similar construction to “Miss Julie,” staged at the black box theater last September: Small cast, big ideas and a lot to say about 19th century relationship dynamics. Read our review of “Miss Julie” here.
To make matters more meta, that version of “Miss Julie” was a new adaptation by Attic Salt artistic director Jeff Catanese, director of “Venus in Fur.” In a fun, amusing reflection, “Venus in Fur” follows Thomas (Villarreal), a theater director and playwright casting his own adaptation of “Venus in Furs,” an 1870 erotic novella by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.
That said, “Venus in Fur” is entirely enjoyable on its own merits, no prior experience with adapting 19th-century literature required.
Like all plays with a small cast, “Venus in Fur” lives and dies on the talent of its leads. Fortunately, Villarreal and McGunagle were both excellent. As Thomas, Villarreal played up his character with perfect repugnant pomposity. He was hilarious. In Vanda, meanwhile, McGunagle brought a brash, electric energy to the stage. The actors had great chemistry and sold their characters well as foils to each other.
To make matters more interesting, inside the context of the show, the actors were also tasked with performing as two characters in Thomas’ play. Thomas reads the lines of his male lead, a groveling, aristocratic man looking for a master, as Vanda auditions for the part of an imperious, domineering woman happy to oblige in his submissive whims. McGunagle communicated the difference between their two characters with remarkable ease, granting the two completely different accents, postures and personalities. Villarreal’s “continental” accent was less convincing, but that only dovetailed with Thomas as a character.
As a black box theater, Attic Salt is an intimate place to watch a show, even during plays without partial nudity and BDSM content. In “Venus in Fur,” that intimacy manifested as loud. The sound design – impressive thunder and lightning effects by Roger Bindy, which were enhanced by fun lighting work by Rachel Cort – was immersive enough on its own, but McGunagle and Villarreal gave an aurally forceful performance so intense it was almost painful. Their characters’ emotions are high and their volume was higher, making for a rattling experience with seats so close to the set.
However, with “Venus in Fur,” intensity in intimacy is the name of the game. The show runs for nearly two hours, which borders on – and in all honesty, qualifies as – overlong without an intermission. The audiences gets no break from Vanda and Thomas. To watch “Venus in Fur,” you are forced to endure every power shift, every angry barb and every shouted confrontation between its two characters. Vanda and Thomas are exhausted by the end of the show, and I felt just as drained. It’s a lot.
Nonetheless, if you want a show to make you feel something this weekend, the carnal, carnivalesque “Venus in Fur” is your best bet in town.
For more information about “Venus in Fur” or Attic Salt, visit www.atticsalt.org.