REVIEW: The Wolves
Image: Photo: John Marmaras
Wolves, a 2016 play and 2017 Pulitzer finalist by Sara DeLappe, being performed at the Old Fitz Theatre in Sydney until April 14, is certainly something to see.
The opening scene is set as an all girls indoor soccer team chats and gossips amidst warmup drills and exercises. Conversations stem from their daily preoccupations – ranging anywhere from periods to curse words to, as made brutally apparent by the girls, the coach’s apparent hangover. These conversations, which go from jumbled talk amongst the group to fairly straightforward dialogue, continually fill in the audience on the internal drama of the group. The rifts and schisms expose each girl on a personal and emotional level, revealing each for having their own struggles which contributes to the functionality of the team as a whole.
The apparent leader of the pack, player number seven, an attitude rich, up front girl, goes from seemingly in control to completely broken down and injured, in need of companionship while watching her spot be filled from the sidelines. These moments in the play, in conjunction with the teenage synopsis from the rest of the team, is where the audience relates to the characters personally. Other players find themselves in similar personal predicaments that operate as a viewing lens for the audience to explore deceivingly complex social issues, including abortion and the coming out of a gay teenager.
As the team nears their goal of making the national tournament, tempers run high, personal conflict surfaces, and the plot twists and turns until the end in this ninety minute dramatic showing.
Until Apr 14. Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling St, Woolloomooloo. $33-$55+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.redlineproductions.com.au
Reviewed by Staton Whaley.
