The Wasp, theatre review: Friends reunited in intriguing tale

Hampstead Downstairs, that theatre’s not-for-review studio space, has entered into a fruitful partnership with the smaller of the two Trafalgar Studios. This is the second transfer in as many months and there’s one more to come in February. It’s a pity Hampstead couldn’t have gone the whole hog with a joined-up season of new work in the West End, with commensurate marketing and ticket offers.

Still, let’s not grumble. The Wasp, by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, is a densely coiled two-hander that looks at a pair of long-estranged old school friends-cum-enemies at a very specific point in their lives: Carla (MyAnna Buring) is about to give birth to her fifth child, while Heather (Laura Donnelly) is running out of options when it comes to conception. Yet as this intriguing if ultimately disappointing work reveals, it might be that revenge, rather than motherhood, is the real dish of the day.

Lloyd Malcolm’s writing works best when considering the undulating, minutely observed rhythms of female friendship. Hope, threat and awkwardness dance around each other in Tom Attenborough’s production at the start. Heather and Carla fell out long ago, sure, but now they’re grown-ups they’re trying to paper over the cracks. But this 80-minute piece has some desperate places to go to and the longer it spends in extremis the less convincing it becomes, despite two carefully observed performances. The Wasp ultimately loses its sting.

Until January 16, Trafalgar Studios (0844 871 7632, atgtickets.com)

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