Previews: Gulfshore Playhouse opens season with "Venus in Fur"

Pedro Zepeda / Gulfshore Playhouse

Kelley Curran in the Gulfshore Playhouse
production of "Venus in Fur."

Gulfshore Playhouse launches its season with "sexy, kinky" play "Venus in Fur" tonight. The theatre kicks off its first-ever "pay-what-you-can" previews with a large group from The Contemporaries, followed Thursday night by a $20 preview and the official opening Friday.

Gulfshore also announced Monday morning that they would expand the "pay-what-you-can" previews to three additional titles in their season.

Pedro Zepeda / Gulfshore Playhouse

Kelley Curran in the Gulfshore Playhouse
production of "Venus in Fur."

Pedro Zepeda / Gulfshore Playhouse

Nick Duckart and Kelley Curran in the
Gulfshore Playhouse production of "Venus in Fur."

Here's my preview of the play, plus photos and a roundup of other coverage.

Preview: Gulfshore launches season with 'sexy, kinky' 'Venus in Fur'
Chris Silk / Naples Daily News

The play is called "Venus in Fur." The cover of at least one published edition of the work shows a woman wearing stockings and garters. Pictured from the rear, of course. Cutouts of two tiny hearts peek out from the exact spot where the gluteus maximus begins that mysterious journey into the thigh muscle, where the seams of stockings drift downward on long, lean, sensuous legs. This woman, named Vanda in the play, perches with confidence on towering heels. A whip curls in her hand, almost as if she's caressing the instrument. As the audience soon learns, Vanda knows how to use every weapon at her disposal, from whip to wit, in a battle of wills and power that may leave Neapolitan audiences breathless. Read the preview...

Pedro Zepeda / Gulfshore Playhouse

Nick Duckart and Kelley Curran in the
Gulfshore Playhouse production of "Venus in Fur."

Sexual Power Play: David Ives’ ‘Venus in Fur’ leaves most to the imagination in exploring a risqué relationship
Nancy Stetson / Florida Weekly

FORGET ABOUT “FIFTY SHADES OF Grey.” This is the real thing. The Tony-nominated play “Venus in Fur” is an intelligent look at sadomasochism, the dynamics of relationships and sexual power struggles. “There are so many layers upon layers upon layers (in this play): who’s in power, sexual politics, gender politics,” says Kristen Coury, director of the production of “Venus in Fur” that opens the new season for Gulfshore Playhouse on Friday, Oct. 4, at The Norris Center in Naples. ... “It’s the complete total opposite of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ which is all spelled out in lurid detail. In this play, it’s all evoked, it’s all innuendo … and it’s all steamy.” Read the preview...