Jo Caruana and Thomas Camilleri star in Venus in Fur. Photo: Ed Muscat Azzopardi

The provocatively seductive comedy Venus in Fur continues to hit the boards this weekend in Msida.

Described by The New York Times as “90 minutes of good, kinky fun” with the Wall Street Journal stating that “you won’t see a funnier or smarter play this season”, this has been one of the most popular plays to be staged in recent years and has been produced worldwide.

The local production features two of Malta’s most experienced actors, Jo Caruana and ex-West End performer Thomas Camilleri. Although both actors are currently best known for their regular appearances in the hugely successful The Comedy Knights’ annual Christmas show, both have an impressive portfolio of serious roles under their belts, including in productions such as Les Misérables, All New People, Equus and Evita.

Venus in Fur sees a young actress (Caruana) determined to land the lead in a new play based on the classic erotic novel Venus in Fur. During her audition, she gets caught up in an electrifying game of cat and mouse with the director (Camilleri), blurring the line between fantasy and reality and testing the boundaries between dominance and submission.

The play seduced Broadway audiences when it premiered in 2011 with Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy with the former winning the Tony Award for best actress in a play. In 2012, director Roman Polanski won the César Award for best director for his film version of the play which starred his wife Emmanuelle Seigner together with Mathieu Amalric.

■ Venus in Fur, directed by Michael Mangion, is on tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at Blue Box in Msida at 8pm. Tickets from www.bluebox.com.mt. For more information, visit www.masquerademalta.com.