Two potent and acclaimed performers, a plot that has the musk of sex, a minimal set and a 90-minute running time would all seem to add up to be catnip for a producer. The New York Times reports that producer Robert Fox is at the front of the line.

Fox (God of Carnage and A Behanding in Spokane) told the paper that he wants to find "a very intimate" Broadway house for the Walter Bobbie-directed play. No such venues are currently available.

CSC confirmed that Fox and other partners are in talks with Classic Stage Company for a Broadway transfer. A deal is not yet set.

Young actress Nina Arianda (from New York University's graduate acting program) got especially good reviews in Venus in Fur, playing opposite Wes Bentley (of the film "American Beauty").

Venus in Fur, according to CSC, is inspired by the infamous erotic novel of the same name, and "takes us behind the scenes of an audition, where a man and a woman blur the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex."

It's billed as "a crackling exploration of sexual control and desire" that "is captive to David Ives' famous combination of classic rigor and contemporary wit."

Venus in Fur continues its extended CSC run to March 28 in the East Village. It is now the longest-running production in CSC's 42-year history. It had already been extended by two weeks, first to March 7, following solid reviews. It began previews Jan. 13.

Visit www.classicstage.org.