For many of us, British Empire is the land of Gilbert and Sullivan and Jane Austen; for some it is the land of Lord Nelson and Sir Isaac Newton; for others it is the tea and the Queen. No matter what is it for you, you always imagine something grand and astonishing. However, not everything in British Empire was equally great. We all remember the dark moments from the stories by Charles Dickens; we remember tragical events of bloody British history as well as incredibly cruel murders by Jack the Ripper.

The light is always neighboring with darkness, the greatness is always going hand in hand with the ugliest in people; wealth and health are always next to poverty and illness. This is the great British culture – it collects everything: nothing left behind, nothing is forgotten.

The story of Venus is not a bed-time reading, it is not a comforting story. It raises important questions and starts the discussion; it is not the story you will squeeze in on your Friday night between pre-show drinks and post-show fancy dinner.

The set for this show had a goal of being conflicting. On one hand, the arch-like structures bring harmonious and “finished” look to the stage; the carpets evoke the feeling of warmth and “homeness”. On the other hand, there is no main drape and since the moment you entered the theatre, the shadows will be hiding in the darkness of the arches and curtains waiting to sneak on you. Once the story begins, you will learn many dark secrets and will have a chance to look at the bottom of the human soul. Set does not change throughout the show much – there are no magical Broadway tricks but rather the set is the silent witness of the horrifying story you are about to experience.