Venus

THOMAS: You might say this play is about . . . beware of what you wish for. VANDA: Because she might come walking in the door. And so she does. In David Ives' brilliant play "Venus in Fur," being given a dazzling production by the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Thomas, a playwright who has been auditioning terrible actresses all day long, is still wishing for one who can convincingly play the role of Vanda. And in stumbles an actress named, of all things, Vanda, who, mysteriously, already knows the script by heart and who, hilariously, has a bag full of thrift-store costumes to suit the part.

Following Serena Williams's loss to Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals, the dethroned U.S. Open women's champion warned that all-Williams sisters finals in Grand Slam tournaments are inevitable. "Nobody's going to be able to stop it," Serena said. While there was no all-Williams final at this Open, a Williams was represented. Older sister Venus powered past Davenport on Saturday night, 6-4, 7-5, to gain her first Open title. Last year, Serena was the Open champion; this year, it's Venus.

It should have been better than the prom, more fun than getting a driver's license or opening presents together on Christmas morning. But the joy of playing in the semifinals at Wimbledon turned to pain for Venus and Serena Williams yesterday as the realization sunk in that one had to lose. After both sisters packed their duffel bags and began to walk off Centre Court in the wake of the eighth-seeded Venus' 6-2, 7-6 (3) triumph, the older Williams by 20 months put her right arm around her dejected sibling and said, "Let's get out of here.

Scientists have finally found what they have been looking for in the thousands of images sent back by the Magellan spacecraft over the last year - convincing evidence that Venus, like Earth, is still geologically active. The images show that sometime in the last few months, Venus had a massive landslide that was probably triggered by the equivalent of an earthquake. Until the discovery, no one could say for sure whether Venus had ongoing geological processes like those that have built mountains and filled valleys with debris on Earth.

Many human relationships - on the street, in the office, in the bedroom, on the stage - boil down to simple sadomasochism. That dynamic is ably explored in David Ives' superbly aware play Venus in Fur , presented by the Philadelphia Theatre Company through June 23. Previews begin Friday at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Venus in Fur , in which Fur is singular, takes off from (but isn't really based on) a famous/notorious 1870 erotic novel, Venus in Furs , in which Furs is plural, by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.

Fiery, intense and so sexy you could sweat, the production of David Ives' new Venus in Fur , a sensation when it ran Off-Broadway last year, opened in a remounted production Tuesday on Broadway. Much of the heat comes from a living generator, the actress Nina Arianda, who reprises the role she created downtown in the original production. There's a booster to this furnace - the Broadway actor and film star Hugh Dancy, who is essentially her prey. The two of them deliver performances that bubble, then explode, on the stage of Manhattan Theatre Club's Friedman Theatre.

Everyone at the U.S. Open knows where to find the Williams sisters: Both are in the semifinals. Serena Williams last night joined her older sister, Venus, in the semifinals with a convincing, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 4 seed Monica Seles. Serena will meet defending champion Lindsay Davenport tomorrow. In another duel of heavy hitters yesterday, the second-seeded Davenport topped No. 5 seed Mary Pierce, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5. No. 3 Venus and top-seeded Martina Hingis - who won their matches Tuesday - are paired in tomorrow's other big-time Broadway semifinal.

David Rittenhouse spent months fine-tuning his handmade instruments and setting up a small observatory on the grounds of his farm, 20 miles outside the bustling young city of Philadelphia. On a clear June day in 1769, he was ready to participate in a landmark moment in science's efforts to measure the heavens. The rare event was called the transit of Venus, and it can be seen once again Tuesday evening - likely the last such chance for anyone now alive. For several hours, the path of Venus will take it directly across our view of the sun - looking something like a small blueberry against a fiery volleyball, for those with a telescope and proper eye protection (number 14 welder's goggles will work)

Serena Williams beat older sister Venus for the first time in their professional careers yesterday to capture the Grand Slam Cup and a $900,000 payday in Munich, Germany. The U.S. Open champion won, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, in a family final in which the players' mother applauded at the end. Venus, at 19 one year older, applauded Serena, and the sisters embraced at the net after the match. But they did not show much emotion during play. "This is exciting. This is what we always wanted," Serena said during the awards ceremony.

In a decision that surprised even the artist and her patron, a city appeals board yesterday ordered that a popular mural painted in a Center City historic district without a permit should be allowed to remain. The four members of the Board of License & Inspection Review voted unanimously to overturn a decision by the Historical Commission ordering that The Death of Venus - which Dee Chhin painted on the side wall of a red-brick Victorian townhouse at 410 S. 15th St. about six years ago - be taken down.

THOMAS: You might say this play is about . . . beware of what you wish for. VANDA: Because she might come walking in the door. And so she does. In David Ives' brilliant play "Venus in Fur," being given a dazzling production by the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Thomas, a playwright who has been auditioning terrible actresses all day long, is still wishing for one who can convincingly play the role of Vanda. And in stumbles an actress named, of all things, Vanda, who, mysteriously, already knows the script by heart and who, hilariously, has a bag full of thrift-store costumes to suit the part.

Many human relationships - on the street, in the office, in the bedroom, on the stage - boil down to simple sadomasochism. That dynamic is ably explored in David Ives' superbly aware play Venus in Fur , presented by the Philadelphia Theatre Company through June 23. Previews begin Friday at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Venus in Fur , in which Fur is singular, takes off from (but isn't really based on) a famous/notorious 1870 erotic novel, Venus in Furs , in which Furs is plural, by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch.

Laura Robson , a 19-year-old British player, beat Venus Williams , 6-3, 6-2, on Monday in the first round of the Italian Open in Rome to set up a second-round match with Venus' sister, top-ranked Serena Williams . Robson won the Wimbledon junior title at 14. BOXING: Former Olympic gold medalist and world champion Meldrick Taylor has joined the staff at Champions of Tomorrow promotions. The 46-year-old Philadelphia native is helping to promote a June 20 boxing card in Essington.

At the Family Circle Cup on Saturday in Charleston, S.C., Serena Williams routed Venus Williams , 6-1, 6-2, in the most one-sided match the sisters' long rivalry. Top-ranked Serena, who won her 14th straight match at Family Circle, will play for her second straight title in this tournament Sunday against Jelena Jankovic . Jankovic, the 2007 champion, defeated Stefanie Voegele , 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the other semifinal. This was the first time since 2009 the Williams sisters were playing each other in a tournament.

Top-ranked Serena Williams ended a long and successful day for the Williams family as she and sister Venus both won twice Friday in Charleston, S.C., to reach the Family Circle Cup semifinals and set up their first sibling showdown since 2009. Serena won her 13th straight match by defeating sixth-seeded Lucie Safarova , 6-4, 6-1. Earlier, she topped two-time NCAA doubles champ Mallory Burdette in a third-round match moved due to Thursday's 71/2-hour rain delay. Venus also had double duty, rallying past Varvara Lepchenko in three sets before ousting 18-year-old Madison Keys later on Billie Jean King Court.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Maria Sharapova leaned back, pumped her arms and screamed after her 6-1, 6-3 win Friday over Venus Williams in the Australian Open, her first over the seven-time Gram Slam winner. This was a match clearly worth celebrating, but in the end it was just a preliminary win and there's a lot of tennis left. "I was just really pumped," Sharapova said. Her exuberant celebration had little effect on Williams, who barely acknowledged it as she made her way from the court.

MELBOURNE, Australia - Maria Sharapova finished her first match of the year in 55 minutes Monday, cruising to a 6-0, 6-0 win over Olga Puchkova to start proceedings on center court at the Australian Open without showing any signs of trouble with her sore right shoulder. The No. 2-ranked Sharapova, who lost the final to Victoria Azarenka here last year before going on to win the French Open, faced only two break points in the match and she saved both of those in the first game.

Venus Williams won her first WTA tournament in more than two years, beating Monica Niculescu , 6-2, 6-3, to take the Luxembourg Open title on Sunday. Slowed by injuries and illness for two seasons, the 32-year-old Williams won her 44th singles title playing steady tennis throughout the 1-hour, 22-minute match against the error-prone Niculescu. In Sweden, Tomas Berdych rallied past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga , 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the Stockholm Open final. Caroline Wozniacki won her 20th title, beating Samantha Stosur , 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

WIMBLEDON, England - Venus and Serena Williams were so eager to reach the Olympics semifinals they collided and tumbled to the grass chasing a shot Thursday. They won the point and the match, beating No. 2-seeded Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy, 6-1, 6-1. Serena was at the net and prepared to hit a shot when Venus came forward to take it. "She said, 'Mine,' and she said, 'Mine,' again," Serena said. "I was like, 'I don't know why I'm not stopping.' " "I really didn't see what happened," Venus said.