Review / Mesmerized by Schubert and Sledge in Venus in Fur: River City Rep performances extended to May 16, 17, 7:30 pm

River City Rep's production of Venus in Fur was a mind-whipping evening of laughs, shocks and aftershocks on Fri, May 9.

Professional actors Charity Schubert and Logan Sledge trippingly threw down some 90 mins of clever, perverse romance.

The imprint of director Patric McWilliams was apparent in the balletic loops, lunges and parries executed by the duo. Cues and verbal jabs were sharp and propulsive. The ebb and flow of the evening seemed natural and powerful.

Charity Schubert was masterful in her numerous head-snapping changes between the auditioning actress character and the role-in-the-play actress. Her appealing smile, red lips and well-lashed eyes dominated the stage. In fact, her articulated smile became a character in the drama. She also used her blonde hair as a property. One moment her hair was a veil, the next, a helmet, the next, a dagger.

Logan Sledge was a protean foil to the explosion of female energy. His timing, turning and stalking matched the force in Schubert's character. Early in the play his persona was a bit stiff. As the night wore on, Sledge warmed. He seemed to entirely inhabit the writer. In one memorable scene the author allowed himself a private moment with a pair of exquisite woman's boots. Ahh.

The script is witty, literarily loopy and enthusiastically depraved. The actors were so confident of their duet that we were borne deep into their grand psychosis.

Highly recommended.

Fri, May 16, Sat, May 17, 7:30 pm, East Bank Theater. Tickets, $35: 318-868-5888, Mon- Sat 11 am – 4 pm. Or at brownpapertickets.com.