Review: Yockey’s ‘Venus’ at Actor’s Express beams with dynamic performance, witty script

Astrologically, Venus is the lover of the solar system, bringing peace, tranquility and interpersonal pleasure wherever she goes. When disordered, however, Venus brings obsession, defensiveness and a willingness to destroy oneself in pursuit of love. The latter state is of more interest to playwright Steve Yockey, whose world premiere Venus, a tragicomic exploration of the impossibility of modern day dating, runs through May 3 at Actor’s Express.

Venus is a two-person play about Beth, a forward and passionate Lothario, and Nicole, a buttoned-up, perfectionistic librarian. Beth is a romantic maximalist, believing that society would be better off if everyone were to speak their minds. Nicole is a self-described realist with a host of anxieties about the modern world that have led her to build a lot of walls around herself. The story opens on these two in an undisclosed liminal space as they tell the audience the story of how they find themselves there — which starts with Beth asking Nicole on a date.

To detail the plot any further would be to spoil the play, which would be a considerable disservice, since so much of this play lives in its unpredictability. Steve Yockey lays out a fairly simple premise — an opposites-attract romance that one could probably find at any book store — before grabbing hold of the audience and thrusting them down the rabbit hole. 

Yockey is walking a tonal tightrope here. His script is hilarious, full of witty quips and charged banter between the leads, and yet it is also a searing commentary on the impossibility of finding true connection in a postmodern world. There is also an element of absurdity, with comedy frequently being used to undercut some of the more dramatic moments. Combined with the unexpected moments of violence in the script, this juggling act leaves the audience unmoored and unable to guess what is coming next.

What brings the play together and prevents it from spinning off the rails are the pitch-perfect performances from its two leads. Suehyla El-Attar Young is incredibly charismatic as Beth, a firecracker whose confidence covers up a deep-seated insecurity. Kate Donadio MacQueen is also perfect as Nicole, carrying herself with such precision and control that when she inevitably breaks down, the results are volcanic. 

Both actors reprise their roles from last spring’s workshop production at Theatrical Outfit, and it is obvious Yockey has written the characters with these two singular voices in mind. Even without the hard left turns that the story takes, one could easily watch an entire 90 minutes of nothing but El-Attar Young and Donadio MacQueen going at each other with the kind of cutting remarks reserved for two people who know just enough to get under the other’s skin.

The design elements are well-calibrated to create a sense of unease. Scenic designer Kat Conley creates an abstract set that manages to evoke both the planetary imagery of the play’s title and the placelessness of its setting. Many of the tonal shifts are aided by lighting designer Hernando Claros, who uses mostly ambient lighting for most of the play while employing some haunting greens for moments when Nicole’s anxieties start to spill out. Dan Bauman’s sound design also subtly adds to these moments of unreality.

Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay give the audience a more specific idea of who Beth and Nicole are through their costume design. They may only have had to design two costumes, but they are both perfectly tailored to the characters, with Beth’s costume evoking urban battle armor while Nicole’s evokes sterile elegance.

Director Melissa Foulger does an excellent job keeping the production moving: Despite the entirety of the action taking place on one central platform, the play never becomes static. Beth and Nicole’s brief courtship is described vividly, and Foulger’s staging allows the various locations to feel clear and specific even without set pieces or props.

It may be easy to become overwhelmed by the outlandish nature of Yockey’s script, but what he has essentially done is taken perfectly normal dating anxieties and blown them up into extreme proportions. This allows the audience to see the destruction that is possible when the ever-present fears of modern life get in the way of forming earnest connections. Venus is a play about the fear of loneliness versus the fear of vulnerability and the desperate measures that result from both. 

Where & When 

Venus is at Actor’s Express through May 3. Tickets, $51.50 with discounts available.
887 West Marietta St. NW., Ste. J-107

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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturg. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.