VENUS IN FUR Closes 3/28 at Classic Stage Company

Classic Stage Company's critically-acclaimed production of VENUS IN FUR, a new play by David Ives, directed by Walter Bobbie, featuring Nina Arianda and Wes Bentley, will play its final performance on Sunday, March 28 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). VENUS IN FUR has now become the longest-running production in CSC's 42 year history.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called VENUS IN FUR "A tasty new comedy by David Ives directed with laser-sharp precision by Walter Bobbie. 90 minutes of good kinky fun!" Hilton Als in The New Yorker called the play "Wildly intelligent. An exquisite production. The phenomenal Nina Arianda delivers a performance of unconquerable vitality and seductive energy." Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal said "Don't miss it. You won't see a funnier play this season, or a smarter one." And David Cote in Time Out NY wrote "Nina Arianda makes a smashing debut. Wes Bentley is equally compelling in David Ives witty, nimble play."

VENUS IN FUR, inspired by the infamous erotic novel of the same name, 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.
Sets for VENUS IN FUR are by Tony Award winner John Lee Beatty, costumes by Anita Yavitch, lighting by Tony Award winner Peter Kaczorowski and sound by Acme Sound Partners.

Entering its 42nd year as one of New York's most exciting theatres, Classic Stage Company is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Led by Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, last season the company presented three sold-out acclaimed productions: Shakespeare's The Tempest, starring Mandy Patinkin; Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Denis O'Hare and Peter Sarsgaard; and Anne Carson's An Oresteia. Recent productions: critically acclaimed sold-out runs of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, starring Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming; the world premiere of David Ives' New Jerusalem, directed by Walter Bobbie; Richard III starring Michael Cumpsty; and Zoe Caldwell in Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, directed by John Turturro.

CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences. Classic Stage's artists are the finest established and emerging theater practitioners working in this country. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in New York and American theatre, Classic Stage has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Memberships to Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible MasterPass membership, which in addition to prime seats entitles members to participate in CSC special series, including their sold-out Open Rehearsal events. For more information on Classic Stage Company visit the theatre's website at www.classicstage.org.

For further information on Classic Stage Company, call (212) 352-3101, visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street, or go to www.classicstage.org.

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