Theatre Review: ‘Venus’ at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Kimberly Gilbert as Beth and Regina Aquino as Nicole. Photo by Cameron Whitman.

There is a point fairly early in “Venus,” now playing at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, when you realize that whatever you thought this play was going to be, you were probably wrong. Steve Yockey’s new play, sponsored by the National New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere program, is, at times, a bit bonkers and, at others, a raw and gritty look at what humans are really all about.

…at times, a bit bonkers and, at others, a raw and gritty look at what humans are really all about…Aquino and Gilbert are terrific…so interesting…

Nicole (Regina Aquino) meets Beth (Kimberly Gilbert) at a book club. You find out pretty quickly, and with a great deal of hilarity, that Beth hasn’t actually read the book. The two women are almost immediately (and weirdly) drawn to one another. Nicole is cautious and controlled, someone who seems to think through every possible outcome. Obsessive compulsivity seems part and parcel of who she is. Beth, meanwhile, barrels through life with considerably fewer (if any) guardrails.

We are led to believe at once in the comedic odd-couple-like magic between the two, and then, things take a fairly dark turn. I won’t go into too much detail here, as the bizarre dark turns seem to be key theatrical touchstones. What is Yockey suggesting exactly? About relationships? Human nature? Weird coincidences? It is all up for interpretation, while having a great deal of fun with the absurdist rollercoaster of life along the way.

Aquino and Gilbert are terrific together. Neither has to try too hard to sell the comedy. They exude those quirky qualities that are the stuff of laugh-worthy theatre. Gilbert’s Beth is naturally funny. This could be because she is so unaware of how her behavior appears to everyone else. Aquino offers a wonderful counterpoint to Beth’s devil-may-care attitude. Watching her try to determine whether Beth is charming, irritating, dangerous, or some combination of all of the above becomes one of the great pleasures of this production.

What makes “Venus” so interesting is the way Yockey vacillates between quiet moments of romance and something much darker that is always right there, lurking beneath the surface. Under the unabashed, risk-taking direction of new Artistic Director Reggie D. White, the play consistently makes us question what we have seen, not to mention rethink our own belief system with respect to romance and redemption.

The production lets the audience bounce back and forth between a collusive knowingness and a wildly distracted not knowing. Both women regularly break the fourth wall and address the audience, offering their versions of events. In many ways, we are asked to arbitrate.

Gisela Estrada’s dark, abstract scenic design creates a world that feels surreal, temporary and multi-galactic. Nic Vincent’s lighting can turn an ordinary encounter into something ominous almost instantly.

What stayed with me most was how funny the production remains even as it becomes increasingly disturbing. Woolly Mammoth has always been particularly good at theater that makes an audience laugh and then wonder whether it should have been laughing in the first place.

Running Time: One hour and 30 minutes with no intermission. 

Advisory: This play includes descriptions of death, stalking, harassment, and physical violence. There is strong language and brief mentions of sexual assault, school shootings, and arson.