Venus in Fur

An intellectual, interesting, and engaging play, Venus in Fur, by David Ives is now playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre at the Manhattan Theatre Club.   Featured just last season at the Classic Stage Company off-Broadway, MTC saw the potential and ushered this tension -filled twosome uptown without delay.

Staring that sexy Broadway vixen Nina Arianda and the uber-handsome Hugh Dancy - it's hard to imagine a better matched duo for this one.  Packed and dripping with sexual tension, desire, and mystery, Vanda and Thomas take us seamlessly back and forth between modern day rehearsal room and a 19th century aristocratic setting.  Genius in its construction, Mr. Ives endows the two characters with modern problems offset by deep secret desires and great talent.  He juxtaposes time, gender, and desire.  The actors are virtually perfect for the roles - mirroring the traits of the characters flawlessly.  You can't wait to hear what Vanda say or do next.  You quiver waiting for Thomas to submit to his obvious desires.

I did not see this play downtown at the Classic Stage Company, but after seeing it now in a modestly larger house I think I would have enjoyed it even more in an intimate space.  However, I make special note of John Lee Beatty's box-like set that significantly diminishes the cavernous stage at the Friedman to a more intimate size.   And of course, there's that signature Walter Bobbie directorial crispness to the pace and sharpness to the dialogue that both keep tension high and the momentum driving forward.

Cracking thunder and bursts of lighting accentuate what is already a wild and sexy storm of great theatre.  Don't miss this chance to succumb to your theatrical desires.

The Pride

A powerhouse of a play written by Alexi Kaye Campbell.  Tremendous cast of four leaves you spellbound.  Two tales so eloquently woven together they seem as one.  Two very different times - 1958 and 2008.  They couldn't be more different - or could they?   I was mesmerized at the performances of Hugh Dancy (Philip) and Ben Whishaw (Oliver) slip effortlessly between the decades and weave a tale that is timeless.  Andrea Riseborough (Sylvia) and Adam James  round out this All-British gem.

The power behind this story is how Oliver and Philip transition between the two very different eras playing two very different characters in each time period.  On the surface it seems like night and day, but as you interpret the layers, you find that in some respects, they share the same problems as their alter-generation characters.   Superb lighting and sound was key in creating the mystery and tension on stage which only served to enhance the actors' fine performances.  

Journey's End

At first glance, it may seem that the Belasco Theater forgot to pay the electric bill. But upon closer inspection, you realize that Hugh Dancy, Boyd Gaines, Jefferson Mays, and Stark Sands need absolutely no lighting except for the candles to make them shine on stage.

The intentionally dim stage has been transformed into an underground bunker in Quentin, France during WWI in 1918. It's a tense 3 act play that takes you deep into the topic of what war can do to a person's psyche, how friendships change, and what the words honor, bravery, and loyalty really mean.

Let's just say, this play is going no where happy. The incredible sound system in the theater provides the backdrop of war - guns, shells, and loud, very realistic explosions. No surprises here. I saw the 4th performance of this show in previews and I left in awe. The acting is outstanding and the chemistry is superb.

Run - don't walk - to this one - but when you arrive - Sit. Enjoy. Absorb.