Theatre This article is more than 8 years oldReviewThe Wasp review – tables turned on a school bully
This article is more than 8 years oldTrafalgar Studios 2, London
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm weaves enjoyably nasty twists into the tale of a tormentor and her victim, reunited after 20 years
When Heather was at school she had plaits, glasses, low self-esteem and a gang of bullies on her case. Now, 20 years on, she wears pashmina shawls and has a comfortable home and cash to splash. Heather’s life is in sharp contrast to the existence of one of her major tormentors, Carla, the former best friend who turned on her viciously at the end of year seven, and made Heather feel fearful for the rest of her time at school.
Carla got pregnant straight after leaving school, led a hand-to-mouth existence living with a loser of a partner twice her age, and will shortly give birth to her fifth child. But when Heather arranges a meeting with the woman she hasn’t seen since school, it is not to gloat. She comes with a bag stuffed with money and a business proposition.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s two-hander is an enjoyably nasty, if not always totally believable thriller, that revels in unexpected plot twists as the power balance between the two women appears to shift first one way and then the other as the audience’s sympathies see-saw. With her difficult background, maybe Carla had reasons for behaving so badly and deserves forgiveness? Surely Heather has moved on from the frightened, bullied teenager she once was? Maybe they can come together as unexpected allies?
The sharp comic edge to the writing ensures that the malice is made somewhat more palatable, and terrific performances from MyAnna Buring as Carla, desperate for a new life for her and her kids, and Laura Donnelly as the apparently together and business-like Heather, keep this watchable. The deranged and unreasonable suddenly seem frighteningly reasonable.
At Trafalgar Studios 2, London, until 16 January. Box office: 0844 871 7632. Buy tickets for The Wasp from theguardianboxoffice.com.
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