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Review: Laughs, strong acting propel Theatre Three’s ‘Venus in Fur’

David Ives’ 2010 play features clever wordplay and sly commentary on gender stereotypes.

“You don’t have to tell me about sadomasochism,” Vanda says early in Venus in Fur. “I’m in theater.”

It’s the first hint that David Ives’ 2010 play is as much an opportunity for humor and bravura acting as it is an exploration of themes from his source material. Now on stage in the confined, dungeon-like basement at Theatre Three, Venus employs both verbal and physical high jinks in a takeoff on the 1870 novella on which it’s based.

As the actress Vanda, Venus’ earthly equivalent, Catherine DuBord makes the most of the occasion, gleefully devouring the role and her counterpart Thomas (Carson Wright), the playwright/director who’s casting his version of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs.

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On opening night Saturday, DuBord delivered a stunning performance, whether she was making Thomas and audience members chuckle at her character’s overwhelming personality or challenging them with sly come-ons alternating with boisterous feminist arguments. Wright did an admirable job keeping up.

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The multiple layers of Venus in Fur are part of the fun. It starts with Sacher-Masoch, an Austrian for whom masochism is named. His book broke erotic and literary ground in telling the story of a man so enthralled with a woman that he wants to be her slave.

In Ives’ play, Thomas has adapted the novella into a stage drama. He’s grown frustrated with the dozens of women who’ve auditioned for the female role and is about to call it a day when Vanda, with no appointment, makes a befuddling entrance.

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Vanda (Catherine DuBord) comes on to Thomas (Carson Wright) on a divan in Theatre Three's...
Vanda (Catherine DuBord) comes on to Thomas (Carson Wright) on a divan in Theatre Three's production of David Ives' "Venus in Fur."(Jeffrey Schmidt)

Wearing a sack-like coat, a seemingly flustered and disheveled DuBord flails around like Lucille Ball doing pratfalls before revealing a black-leather-and-nylon outfit underneath. Vanda’s apparent lack of preparation — and seriousness — hides the real truth that’s revealed over the course of the play. DuBord’s deceptive shtick lulls the audience into a false sense of who Vanda is.

“I’m usually demure,” she says. “I was an amazing Hedda Gabler.”

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This metaphorical undressing and Thomas’ reaction to every twist in her approach is what Venus in Fur is ultimately about. But Ives has his cake and eats it, too. Vanda’s evolving lines of attack during the audition serve as commentary on gender stereotypes as well as who’s meant to submit and who’s meant to dominate.

Vanda and Thomas contend over whether Sacher-Masoch’s tale is porn or a love story, “a central text of world literature,” as Thomas puts it. But who’s really in charge in the audition room? Aren’t both versions of Venus sexist on their face, as Vanda argues?

Ives makes these themes thought-provoking. His wordplay is clever. What’s so enthralling about Theatre Three’s production, directed with pinpoint timing by Emily Gray, is the chance to watch two actors spar with words and close physical contact.

A divan at the center of the set, designed by Track Curtis, is like the proverbial gun in a play. It’s there, so it’s going to get used to dramatic effect. Sound designer Matthew Gray’s use of thunder and lightning is like a third character.

Wright skillfully plays a man gradually getting pulled into a different point of view, his enthusiasm for his project conspiring against him. DuBord, meanwhile, portrays a calculated force of nature fighting repression and unequal treatment while having a great time doing it.

Details

Venus in Fur runs through Oct. 20 in Theatre Too at Theatre Three, 2688 Laclede St. $37-$40. theatre3dallas.com.

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