Review: VENUS IN FUR by The Studio Players

VENUS IN FUR, presented by The Studio Players, is the story of a director looking for a leading actress for his play, an adaptation of the novel Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and an actress who just so happens to show up to audition for the part at the last minute.

Steven Coe plays Thomas and Madelaine Weymouth plays Vanda. This show has a very interesting dynamic because the actors switch between their characters and the characters of the play-within-the-play many times, often rather suddenly. I appreciated that both Coe and Weymouth did a fantastic job making the different roles they were portraying very distinct; not only did they switch accents as their characters became other characters, but they also had different facial expressions and very clearly different personalities. Considering this play is only one act and has a cast of two, Coe and Weymouth had quite a challenge to keep the audience captivated, and I think they did a fantastic job of that. The plot of this show gets very confusing and muddled near the end as power shifts and roles are reserved both in the central play and in the play-within-the-play, and for me, it became a bit hard to follow as you weren't really sure what was true and what was an act, but I think these actors held their own and did a great job of executing the story despite all the twists and turns.

If you haven't seen a production from The Studio Players before, I'd definitely recommend checking one out, whether it is VENUS IN FUR or one of their upcoming shows this season. Their intimate venue always makes for a unique and entertaining theatre experience.

VENUS IN FUR, presented by The Studio Players, is playing now through September 8. All performances take place at the Joan Jenks Auditorium, located in the Golden Gate Community Center, 4701 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples, Florida, 34116. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thestudioplayers.org or call (239) 398-9192.

Photo Credit: Tom Hall