Susan Lori Parks Venus A theatrical review of a self-consciously political act and spectacle theater
Ideally, political theater should be both polemical and entertaining.It should instruct the viewer in a message that the viewer, after'learning' in the classroom of the theater, can apply to his or her ownlife and society after leaving the darkened room of the auditorium.However, political theater should not be so fixed upon its politicalproject that viewers do not wish to enter the theater in the first place,for fear of being lectured to at the expense of receiving any entertainmentat all. To do so would drive people away from the communal benefits of thetheatrical experience; drive them back into the confines of their homes and Moreover, political theater should use at least some of thecompelling aspects of drama to draw the viewer into the 'project' of thepiece. Even Brecht's famous 'alienation' effect, where characters are self-consciously represented rather than seamlessly embodied by the actors,makes use of the techniques of song, humor, and
In fact, one of themost effective things about political theater as entertainment as well asgood, ideological politics is its frequently flexible use of narrative,setting, and characterization in theatrical spaces. However, these attempts at entertainment donot feel self-conscious. Parks, like Brecht, makes use of song, chanting, and other elements ofcommonly entertaining theater to create an entertaining as well as apolitically compelling work. The "Venus," often defamedfor her fleshiness in her representative form, and for her blackness in hersupposed living, human incarnation is used as an example of the narrownessof not only 19th century views of beauty, sexuality, and Africa, but alsothe way society views these conceptual overviews today. Theplay is starkly set, and has numerous anachronistic jokes and references inits dialogue quite deliberately to create a sense of connection betweenpast and present. After all, it is the theatrical 'spectacle' that Parks wishes toquestion and tear down. By using thisflexibility to create connections between past and present, and theater andlife, the theatrical product itself is technically enriched. A court, however, wascalled to determine if this exhibition of a living African artifact was infact slavery. One is supposed toleave the theater, not simply with a different view of history, but withnew eyes upon blackness, womanhood, and the world. For instance, Suzan Lori Parks "Venus" technically takes place inLondon in the early 19th century. She involves one in the ritual of seeing Venus, rather thantaking the viewer out of the ritual experience of spectacle and spectaculartheater. witty banter to create apalatable as well as a political theatrical product. In fact, the play is perhaps most similar in its initial tone to Greekand Roman satyr plays, where a doctor uses drugs upon patients to turn theminto sexual automatons. The focus of the production is the"Venus Hottentot" who was exhibited in a circus.
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Acceptance Essays
