Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...Jean Genet this isn't; Ives's script, academic and borderline smug, gets a fair amount of mileage out of its light comedy, but its broader prodding into Sacher-Masoch's themes grows repetitive just halfway through. Still, Charlotte Drover's well-designed, playfully blocked production for Circle Theatre provides ample opportunity for Arti Ishak as Wanda to set the roof ablaze with a rapturous performance."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...So much can be thought about and delighted in in David Ives' Venus in Fur, its richness so playful and complex, that one would have to have no liking for drama, no capacity for humor, and no mind for consideration to not enjoy this production. Circle Theatre's production has some stellar, some faltering moments, but overall it is a success worthy of attendance."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Ishak, Livingston, and Drover should be credited for absolutely nailing the ending to this play aesthetically. Even if the build is a bit anticlimactic because it became so predictable, the visual and aural aspects were overwhelming (in the best possible way). Of course, lighting designer Maya Michele Fein and sound designer Domonic McDaye deserve credit as well. Fein should also be credited with a very clever use of practical lights that the actors could manipulate in the space to create stark up and side light for their “scenes.” Prior to the end, McDaye’s work was less than notable as his background rain became more distracting white noise than a contributing factor to the atmosphere."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...Ives wrote this as a dark comedy. I saw it a few years ago at the Goodman Theatre. On a larger stage, the humor is much more apparent. Drover's production is more dark drama than dark comedy. The separation of stage and audience isn't there. It's uncomfortably close. The audience experience feels voyeuristic. The wall to wall lechery is palpable. It's like watching a virtual version of "50 Shades of Grey." The lines between pleasureful and painful are fuzzy as we get lost in the role playing."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Obviously, a lot of work went into this Venus in Fur. Sometimes showing one’s work precludes audience enjoyment of the production, but that’s not the case here. Aside from a few small flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed Circle Theatre’s provocative and stunning Venus in Fur and its themes of domination, submission and performance are still with me in the days after the premiere. What could have been disastrous in the wrong hands, is instead intelligent, artistic and sexy in the right ones."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...VENUS IN FUR is about sex, power, and how we perceive gender. It's a fabulous script performed by an outstanding cast. It keeps you engaged until the very end."
Splash Magazine - Highly Recommended
"...Venus in Fur is a brilliant play, produced brilliantly by the folks at Circle Theatre. I cannot recommend it highly enough."
NewCity Chicago - Recommended
"...There is some stumbling toward the end: the dynamics shift only superficially and the physical action of the stage seems less profound and subversive than at the top. But really: Ishak never gets stuck for long and so, in her powerful sense of self, she empowers us to fight injustice."
