Broadway 'Venus' moves orbit

Manhattan Theater Club's non-profit Broadway production of "Venus in Fur" will get a commercial transfer to the Lyceum Theater, where the show picks up perfs in February. Stars Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda are both set to move with the show to its new venue, where "Venus" is skedded for a limited run of about four months. Well-reviewed production hasn't been logging B.O.-busting grosses, in part due to the MTC subscribers who in most cases pay less for individual ducats than single-ticket buyers. Besides, MTC's Main Stem theater, the Friedman, is one of the Rialto's smallest with 650 seats. Weekly sales for the show have barely topped the $400,000 mark. However, attendance has been on the upswing, with the production filling seats to between 97% and 100% of capacity in the frames since reviews hit. At nearly 950 seats, the Lyceum will add some 300 seats per perf (or 2,400 per week) to fill. Broadway shift is the latest step for a show that originated in a 2010 Off Broadway preem at Classic Stage Company. That run, in which Dancy did not appear, provided Arianda with the breakout turn that landed her on the Rialto in "Born Yesterday" last season. Based on an 19th century erotic novel, adaptation by David Ives centers on the power play between a theater writer-director (Dancy) and an actress (Arianda) auditioning to play a role. Walter Bobbie ("Chicago") helms. "Venus," which will shutter at the Friedman Dec. 18 to make way to MTC's upcoming revival of "Wit," begins perfs Feb. 7 for a limited stint set to finish June 17. Lyceum run will be produced by Jon B. Platt, Scott Landis, Manhattan Theater Club Prods., Jessica R. Jenen, Scott M. Delman and Classic Stage Company. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com