“The Venus of Ille” seems a curious tale to rework into a DART production, as while mentioned twice in-passing in Lovecraft’s “Supernatural Horror in Literature” discussion, it’s not especially highlighted there with other notes. Perhaps it was a little too earthy for Lovecraft’s taste. It certainly comes across that way in this adaptation, true to the original, albeit not in an overtly offensive manner. As usual, the DART team brings the whole to life (appropriately!) in excellent style, perhaps with nods to Tim Burton’s animated movie “The Corpse Bride” in a few elements (including the characterisation of the bridegroom’s mother), if elements hard to disentangle from the various earlier tropes involved, including the central statue-comes-to-life motif from long before Prosper Mérimée’s story was penned. The accompanying props add to the experience nicely. Semi-pictorial postcard maps like that of Wight can be bought still at seaside towns across the UK, and the illustrations of Brading Villa’s Roman mosaics, including fish-tailed humans, opens-up archaeological vistas stretching back to early second millennium BCE Babylonia, should the HPLHS feel inclined to dig deeper. It’s not just the tennis that’s real here! While not strongly Lovecraftian, this remains a real treat for fans of 1930s-style radio shows in the DART mould.