Photo Flash: First Look at Kitchen Theatre's VENUS IN FUR, Begin. 1/22

It may be cold outside, but inside the Kitchen Theatre Company it is hot, hot, hot. Starting on January 22nd is David Ives' Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Venus in Fur, a comedy about sexual power, power plays, and the power of Love - the Goddess of Love, that is. The New York Times called it "90 minutes of good, kinky fun." Preview performances are on January 22, 23, and 24. Opening Night is January 25th, and the play closes February 9. Check out a first look below!

The play opens on Thomas Novachek, a director/playwright who has written a stage adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's inflammatory 1870 novella Venus in Fur. Novachek is desperate to find an actress who can bring to life the role of the sexually adventurous Vanda von Dunayev. When actress Vanda Jordan shows up to audition, she and playwright Novachek read the play together, and the line between the reality of the audition and the events in the play begins to blur. Like the thunderstorm raging outside, the atmosphere in the rehearsal studio is electrically charged. Venus in Fur is a steamy, smart, and provocative look at gender roles, role-playing, power, domination and submission.

Venus in Fur is directed by Kitchen Theatre Artistic DirectorRachel Lampert (Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Opus, Broke-ology, Red Light Winter, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Mary's Wedding, among many others). Playing Thomas isBrandon Morris, no stranger to provocative plays. He was seen last season at the Kitchen in both Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune and The Motherf**ker with the Hat. Morris has extensive regional theater and television credits, as does his co-star, Kitchen Theatre newcomer, Maddie Jo Landers.

Scenic and Lighting Design for Venus in Fur is by Tyler M. Perry, Sound Design is by Lesley Greene, and Costume Design is by Maxine Etchison.

Photos by Dave Burbank