Venus

Parks describes some unusual devices in the play. “Rests” are defined as “spells, brackets, and parentheses, which each serve to modify the way Scenes are performed” (Author’s Notes). Rests are pauses, often used as a transition from one topic of discussion to the next, while “spells” are longer, and Parks notes that “directors should fill this moment as they best see fit” (Author’s Notes), meaning “spells” can take on different meanings in a performance, though they only appear as pauses in the text. Brackets indicate possible cuts or modifications, allowing directors to change certain scenes. Finally, parentheses are Parks’s way of indicating whispering or asides, in which a character speaks softly to the audience, themselves, or another character.

The Venus rotates slightly. The Negro Resurrectionist; The Man, later the Baron Docteur; the Man’s Brother, later the Mother-Showman, later the Grade-School Chum; the Chorus; and the Venus chant each other’s names. The Negro Resurrectionist announces that the Venus Hottentot is dead, explaining she either died from drinking too much alcohol or from the cold. The show is canceled, and the Chorus wants their money back. The Venus groans, drums play, and a Chorus Member explains that people traveled far to hear the drums and see the Venus.