The Wasp Review: A Deliciously Nasty Tale of Revenge That Buzzes With Tension
- London Theatre Doc
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
★★★★
The Wasp, now playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough, is an absolutely cracking story of playground revenge. It tells the tale of Heather, a grudge-bearing housewife played by Cassandra Hercules, and Carla, a heavily pregnant mother on the edge, played by Serin Ibrahim. Their reunion soon curdles into a vicious pact of murder, betrayal and the long buried consequences of festering resentment.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s text is gripping, biting and packed with twist after twist. This is a play that knows exactly when to let the audience settle before sending another jolt through the room. The story is intense, cleverly laced with dark humour, and there is real pleasure in watching its secrets hatch, swarm and spiral. The tension constantly ebbs and flows, keeping the audience unsettled throughout.
Despite the razor sharp writing, the production does not always match the text’s full intensity. Directed by James Haddrell, the pressure occasionally falters, particularly in repeated sequences set against pounding drum and bass. These moments seem intended to fracture the play’s perspective, but they sometimes muddy rather than deepen the tension. What should feel claustrophobic occasionally feels overworked.
Jana Lakatos’ set design is effective, with grotesque taxidermied insects looming over insect like shelving, subtly mirroring the predatory nature of the story. Certain lighting cues by Henry Slater deliberately distort the appearance of the set, echoing the fractured truths within the text, though these ideas could be developed more fully across the production. There are intriguing visual ideas here, even if they do not always feel completely sustained.
Serin Ibrahim is undoubtedly the standout of the evening. Her Carla is desperate, chaotic and painfully real, performed with a naturalism that grounds the entire production. She makes Carla feel dangerous, funny and heartbreakingly human in the same breath, and is consistently magnetic to watch.
Cassandra Hercules gives a more restrained performance as Heather, bringing a brittle, controlled precision to a character built on suppressed resentment. There are moments where the darkness beneath could surface more fully, but when Hercules unleashes genuine fury, the production sparks into life. You get a glimpse of the more poisonous, unravelling version of Heather that the play seems to demand.
Overall, the strength of the text shines through. It is gripping, uncomfortable and sharply entertaining in all the right places. The Wasp has a deliciously nasty story at its core, filled with venom, manipulation and revenge that has been quietly nesting for years. While some staging choices feel overworked, the writing remains strong enough, and the performances compelling enough, to make this a tense and rewarding evening.
Venue - Southwark Playhouse Borough - The Little
Dates - Until 30 May 2026
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 3pm
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including interval
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