Oklahoma Shakespeare stages sexy comedy 'Venus in Fur' in new OKC indoor theater

For the first show in its intimate, newly remodeled indoor theater, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park is planning an intimate, modern show based on a steamy classic novel.

"I am obsessed with it. I think it is not only the perfect space for this show, but it's a space that I think is unlike any other space in the Oklahoma City metro. ... The seats are kind of raked so that you have this voyeuristic-almost view of the stage because you're looking at it from above," said Amanda Lee, who is co-starring in Oklahoma Shakespeare's upcoming production of David Ives' "Venus in Fur." 

"My favorite thing is to really bring theater into people's faces. That's exactly what this space does, and it's so perfect for this show."

Sexual tension will fill the revamped space when Lee and her longtime friend Matthew Alvin Brown, a mainstay on the OKC theater scene, co-star in Oklahoma Shakespeare's production of "Venus in Fur," a Tony Award-winning comedy about the power of sex and the sexiness of power. Ives’ two-person play is inexorably tied to Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's classic 1870 erotic novel "Venus in Furs."

" I think it's something that is very appropriate in today's culture and what's going on in the world today. And it's a story that can be viewed a million different ways," Lee said.

"If you want to come in and see a scantily clad lady for 90 minutes, great. You're gonna get that and maybe you leave going, 'Wow, Amanda was very scantily clad. What a fantastic romp that was.' ... Or if you want to come in going, 'Oh, wow, this is about the power play that goes on between directors and actresses’ … that's part of it. Or is it something way deeper? Is it about the power struggle between men and women? Is it about S&M? Is it about how maybe this person is more than she seems to be?'"

When and where can people see the OKC production of 'Venus in Fur?'

Kathryn McGill, Oklahoma Shakespeare's executive and artistic director and co-founder, will direct the small professional company's production of "Venus in Fur" with performances July 29-Aug. 13 in its revamped indoor venue in the Paseo Arts District.  

"The great thing is that we finally get to use the indoor space — and we're launching it with a comedy about sadomasochism. So, there you go," McGill said with a chuckle.

"I think August is going to be a month to experiment and to expand ourselves just a bit, and I had been interested in 'Venus in Fur' since I first heard about it and read it in 2011. ... It was a big hit, and then it was a two-hander, which is great for our little, tiny space."

OKC theater revamps Paseo Arts District home during pandemic

After canceling most of its 2020 season and delaying its 2021 shows to midsummer due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the venerable company used the pandemic pause to renovate its Paseo home, building an outdoor performance space complete with a stage, sound booth and landscaping; adding more bathrooms, plus a real gift shop, bar and box office; and carving out a larger indoor stage, with actual theater seats, a wheelchair ramp and full backstage facilities and dressing rooms.

The company debuted its Shakespeare Gardens last summer and has continued to make improvements while performing in the outdoor space. Now, the company is finally putting on its first show in its indoor black box theater as it continues its 38th season.

"It's just so great to have both of our performance spaces here because this is a space we can grow into and maybe expand down the road if need be. We have kind of always searched for a permanent home. We felt like Hafer Park (in Edmond) was our home, but it still had its issues - and then when it burned down twice, we thought, 'No, we can't do this anymore,'" McGill recalled.

"This is the first time in a number of years where we feel like we're proud to open the doors. ... It just really feels like home."

The company moved its headquarters and indoor performances to the Paseo in 2014 and continued to produce outdoor shows at the Myriad Botanical Gardens' Water Stage until 2019. Creating a more accessible indoor venue for its cast, crew and audience members meant losing about 15 seats, putting the black box theater's capacity at 54 ticketholders.

"We had to replace the electrical throughout the building ... and we wanted to make sure we were up to all the codes. ... We wanted to make sure it was accessible; we want to be inclusive and we want to make sure that anybody who wants to come can come," McGill said.

"The audience is really right in the middle of the action, which is a lot of fun. So, I think we're going to be very happy with the space, and I'm just having fun exploring it for the first time with this play."

What is 'Venus in Fur' about?

Set in modern-day New York, "Venus in Fur" centers on Thomas Novachek (Brown), the writer of a new play he has decided to direct himself. His provocative play-within-the-play is an adaptation Sacher-Masoch's "Venus in Furs," the book that inspired the term "masochism."

The show opens with Novachek lamenting the shortcomings of the actresses who have tried out that day to play his lead character, Vanda von Dunayev. At the last minute, an enigmatic newcomer — oddly enough, also named Vanda (Lee) — bursts in and asks to audition. Novachek reluctantly agrees and reads the part of the male lead opposite her.

Although the actress comes across as ditzy, brash and unrefined when she first arrives, she suddenly morphs into a 19th-century seductress as she begins to read the part, and both she and Novachek get caught up in their respective roles.

"That's where the humor ensues — and then the power struggle ensues. It's really a fascinating play. David Ives is famous for a combination of really classic rigor to language ... but he always puts a contemporary wit on everything," McGill said.

"It's a comedy about masochism. Well, they talk about sadomasochism ... but it's really about power and the line between fantasy and reality."

What can people expect from 'Venus in Fur?'

Although the play is definitely not for children, McGill said "Venus in Fur" isn't especially sexually explicit.

"We are rating it R, but that's only because they say some pretty bad words. She's in a skimpy little costume, but she's fully covered. ... There's no sexual acts. I think they touch each other maybe once or twice," she said.

"There's seductive moments, but it's more about power and the male-female struggle. ... I think of it as a feminist play."

After its celebrated 2010 premiere off-Broadway, "Venus in Fur" moved to Broadway for an acclaimed 2011-2012 run. It was nominated for best play at the 2012 Tony Awards, where Nina Arianda won best actress in a play for her turn in the female lead, a role she originated both on and off-Broadway. Controversial filmmaker Roman Polanski adapted the title into a 2013 movie starring French actors Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric.

"If you've seen the movie, the play is much funnier," McGill said. "When I first thought of this play, I said, 'I need two comedians to do it, because you can't teach comedy.' ... I immediately thought of Amanda and Matt. I thought, 'That's my dream cast right there.'"

Local actors reunite in sensual show

Even better, Lee and Brown have known each other for two decades.

"We actually did a show together almost exactly 20 years ago, where we played love interests. We haven't been on stage together for the last 20 years, and here we are appearing together again. ... We have a chemistry born from that show 20 years ago and our relationship. We've been friends for so long that the push and pull of the script feels very natural," Lee said.

The Norman performer previously played Marie Antoinette in Oklahoma Shakespeare's 2018 production of the French Revolution comedy “The Revolutionists," by popular American playwright Lauren Gunderson.

"Kathryn McGill is not one to make safe choices. In my opinion, she is one to be on the cutting edge, which is why I love working with her," Lee said.

"I came to Kathryn maybe in April or May, and I said, 'Hey, what's your vision for this character? Do you want her a little heavier? Do you want her a little skinnier?' ... She looked at me and she goes, 'I just want you.' And I thought, 'Oh, OK. So, I'm it. I'm enough just as I am,' and that sentiment from her gave me all the confidence in the world."

Plus, Lee said she is excited about making her acting debut in the company's revamped theater, where she will be directing "Jane Austen's Christmas Cracker" for the holidays.

"Not to get too hippy-dippy about it, but the vibe of the space is very cool. I made a joke the other day that it feels like it was made with angels' wings and babies' tears. There's something about it that just feels like it has this weight of awesomeness hanging over it," she said.

'VENUS IN FUR'

When: July 29-Aug. 13.

Where: Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park's indoor black box theater, 2920 Paseo.

Tickets and information: https://www.okshakes.org.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Shakespeare stages sexy comedy 'Venus in Fur' in new theater