David Ives' Venus in Fur, a Play About Seduction and Power, Opens at NYC's Classic Stage

By Kenneth Jones
26 Jan 2010

Venus in Fur stars Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda
Venus in Fur stars Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda
Photo by Joan Marcus

Classic Stage Company's world-premiere production of David Ives' new two-character play, Venus in Fur, inspired by the erotic novel of the same name, opens Jan. 26 after previews from Jan. 13. Wes Bentley and Nina Arianda star; Walter Bobbie directs.

Previews began Jan. 13 in Manhattan's East Village. According to CSC, "Venus in Fur...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. A crackling exploration of sexual control and desire, the play is captive to David Ives' famous combination of classic rigor and contemporary wit."

The world-premiere Off-Broadway engagement plays CSC (136 E. 13th Street) to Feb. 21.

Bentley (Thomas/Kushemski) was born in Jonesboro, AR, and attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division in New York City for a short period of time and appeared in a few stage works. He starred in several films, including the Oscar-winning "American Beauty," Michael Winterbottom's "The Claim," "The Four Feathers" and "P2." He more recently starred in "The Last Word" and the thriller "Dolan's Cadillac."

Arianda (Vanda/Dunayev), a New York University graduate acting alumna, has appeared with Project 400 in Measure for Measure and The Donkey Show (understudy) plus in Becoming Natasha (HERE), Still the River Flows (La Mama) and many roles at NYU.

The creative team for Venus in Fur includes Tony Award-winning set designer John Lee Beatty, costume designer Anita Yavitch, lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski and sound designer Acme Sound Partners.

Venus in Fur plays Tuesday through Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $60 Tuesday through Thursday and $65 Friday through Sunday.

Walter Bobbie and David Ives
Ives and Bobbie last worked together at CSC on New Jerusalem. Ives' plays include All in the Timing and Polish Joke, and he penned concert adaptations of musicals for the Encores! series. Bobbie and Ives have collaborated for over 15 years on more than ten productions as writer/producer, writer/director, co-authors, writer/actor, and writer/dramaturg. Their productions together range from Broadway, Off-Broadway, City Center Encores!, Carnegie Hall and public television.

Bobbie directed the holiday perennial White Christmas on Broadway and across the country over the last six seasons. His international hit Chicago has become the longest-running revival in Broadway history and won him the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best Director.

For tickets and information, visit www.classicstage.org or call (866) 811-4111, or (212) 352-3101, or visit the CSC box office.

For more information on Classic Stage Company visit the theatre’s website at www.classicstage.org.