The Wasp is a creepy delight. There are twists on top of twists on top of twists, only one of which I didn't see coming. This may have been intentional so you have a moment of "oh no, I know what's going to happen" or I could be patting myself on the back for being so very, very smart. I suspect it's the former.
Two women meet, it's been 20 years since they last saw each other. But have either of them changed, can we ever change? The acting was such perfection that it felt like eavesdropping on someone's conversation. Even when the characters almost switch roles in the second act it was so believable that the breath caught in my throat.
We never really heal from the scars of childhood; even if we escape cycles of abuse it's still within us. Somehow there are laughs too, it's darkly amusing. The scenes unfolding on stage are extreme yet somehow scarily relatable. There is something so satisfying in a good revenge plot, it almost makes you wish you had an enemy.
In one word: brilliant.
Trigger warnings (or content warnings) should be front and centre, not buried at the bottom of the programme under the title "audience care" or the bottom of the webpage with no title at all (under the much more prominent run time which was all in red). Once tickets have been purchased, or the audience member has sat down, the sunk cost fallacy comes into play. It is unacceptable in this day and age to spring this sort of content on unaware and potentially vulnerable audience members. Circa: do better.
Performances: 1-29 October, times vary
Tickets: $54
