THE WASP • Albion Theatre

Olivier Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s thriller was first performed in 2015 at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs in London, and now it’s receiving a gripping St. Louis premiere courtesy of Albion Theatre.

It begins with a get-together between Carla (Macia Noorman), very pregnant and smoking liberally, and Heather (Ricki Franklin), smartly dressed and amiable. Heather has asked to meet up with Carla after not having seen her in 20 years since they were mates in school. Their friendship turned sour as they got older, and Carla can’t imagine why Heather would want to reunite after all these years, especially considering that Carla’s bullying made Heather’s life a misery back in the day. After a bit of awkward conversation, Heather produces a bag full of cash and an unexpected proposition that will change them both.

These two women have led very dissimilar lives in the intervening years since primary school. Carla is struggling financially with four kids and a fifth on the way, and a husband who gambles away what little money they have. Heather is financially secure, childless, and her husband is neglectful and unfaithful, seeming to flit from one obsession to the next. His current fixation is with the wasp of the title, in this case, the tarantula hawk. This spider wasp preys on tarantulas, paralyzes them with their sting, and lays eggs in the host, ensuring a creeping certainty of death. Predatory nature indeed looms large in the play, along with the cyclical nature and lingering effects of childhood trauma and bullying. There’s also differences in social class, mirrored down to the differences in the characters’ very well executed dialects.

Carla (Macia Noorman) and Heather (Ricki Franklin).
Photo credit: John Lamb

The unfolding developments in this deliciously twist-laden plot deserve to be discovered by audiences without any spoiling from me, so I’ll not go into details, but under artistic director Robert Ashton’s direction, the actors featured in this two-hander embody the roles splendidly. Noorman’s coarse, hardened indifference turns to petrified fear as Franklin’s well-mannered propriety pivots to cold calculation. The play’s themes affect these women in different ways, and the shifting power dynamics muddy the distinction between victim and villain.

Rob Lippert’s wonderfully appointed set, Kara Grimm-Denholm lights, Tracey Newcomb’s costumes and Leonard Marshell’s sound design complement each other well, and the Kranzberg’s black box space adds a claustrophobic feel that accentuates the tension that ratchets up as the narrative unfurls.

Heather (Ricki Franklin) and Carla (Macia Noorman).
Photo credit: John Lamb

The Wasp will take you places you don’t see coming, and the fascinating performances at the center will keep you guessing, who is the wasp and who is the spider? Check it out! It’s playing at the Kranzberg until the 28th.

THE WASP

Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

Directed by Robert Ashton

Kranzberg Black Box Theater, 501 North Grand Blvd.

through June 28 | tickets: $24 - $34

In advance, through Metrotix: $34 plus $5.25 Metrotix fees and $1 Facility fee.

Student: $24 plus $3.75 Metrotix fees and $1 Facility fee

At the door, by card or cash: $34 plus $1 Kranzberg Facility Fee

Student: $24 plus $1 Kranzberg Facility Fee

Performances Thursdays: June 18 & 25 at 7.30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays: June 12,13,19, 20, 26 & 27 at 7.30 p.m., Sundays: June 14, 21 & 28 at 2.00 p.m.

Carla (Macia Noorman) and Heather (Ricki Franklin).
Photo credit: John Lamb

Cast

Carla: Macia Noorman

Heather: Ricki Franklin

Crew

Asst. Director: CJ Langdon

Stage Manager: Susan Wylie

Scenic Designer: Rob Lippert

Lighting Designer: Kara Grimm-Denholm

Costumes: Tracey Newcomb

Sound Designer: Leonard Marshell

Asst. Stage Manager: Denise Mandle

Fight Choreographer: Mo Moellering

Board Operator: Rachel Klinck