Starring Cassandra Hercules and Serin Ibrahim, The Wasp follows two estranged childhood friends who reconnect over an awkward cafe chat. Jam-packed with twists and turns, The Wasp (directed by James Haddrell) explores the age-old debate of whether violence just breeds more and more violence; is it nature or nurture?
I think the premise of the story is an interesting one, launching into a question of how far you think you'd go for the right price. The stakes are immediately high with that sort of question, however I just never felt quite convinced. The character of Carla (Ibrahim) is presented with a large sum of cash with the catch of committing a heinous crime, yet I never felt worried for her. I never felt the conflict or moral dilemma. It felt, at times, like more of a slapstick comedy.
Serin Ibrahim does a really strong job of diffusing tension with her dry and deadpan delivery, serving up a slice of realism amongst the chaos. Cassandra Hercules offers a more melodramatic approach, which is fun and seemingly appropriate for the character of Heather.
However, there were times where I felt that the two styles clashed and made the atmosphere hard to gauge. Audience members would laugh at moments that didn't feel quite humorous and the overall mood was tricky to keep track of. I enjoyed the acting style of both leads, however, I think something needed to be done in order to bridge the gap between the two extremes and help make the ever-changing plot more palatable.
I think the lighting (designed by Henry Slater) was quite extreme and even jarring at times. With incredibly prolonged periods of intense strobe lighting, I think it's a useful tool to introduce scene changes and dramatic shifts within a scene. However, it was utilised too much throughout the production with long scene changes that would blind the audience for five minutes at a time.
Overall, I think the premise of The Wasp is interesting enough but it could do with some finer tweaks to ensure that the tension remains strong throughout.
Playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 30th May.
Review: Bethany Chandler Photo: Ross Kernahan