The Wolves

Ad Astra scores another hit with Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. Written between the 2015 and 2017 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, The Wolves premiered off-Broadway in 2016. Its nomination for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017 captured the growing importance of women’s sports-related stories. US playwright, Sarah DeLappe, is now working for HBO on a comedy/drama starring Kate Winslet, The Regime. This is unsurprising, as The Wolves crackles with witty dialogue and star-giving moments for every character. Set in a teenage girls’ soccer club, we uncover the team’s hopes and dreams as they run the gamut of teen experience while training for weekend matches, preparing to perform for college talent scouts, bitching and moaning like only teenage girls can do, and finally realising that they are better off together when it comes to weathering the storm of real life. Some cast members alternate, but the show I saw featured some very witty, yet heartfelt performances by a team who all show talent in ensemble, character-driven comedy. However, just as teenagers’ conversations can pivot on a dime from the insignificant (haircuts) to the serious (genocide in Cambodia), this cast can cut it when it comes to drama too. It’s impossible to single any one actor out because there’s something to enjoy in every performance.

In the course of the 90-minute play, we see each girl take on a more individual identity, enabled by the safe space of the Soccer pitch and their relationships with their team mates: As #00, Maddi Jane Romcke moves from a nervy and anxious girl who keeps to herself, to a serious team player; #2 Malika Savory is shy at first, possibly concealing a personal crisis, but in full voice by the end; #46 Emily Marszalek is the new girl who has to fit in to survive; #7 Shanay De Marco seems the most ambitious, but will her boyfriend scupper her chances for soccer stardom? #8 Aimee Duroux (a Matilda Award nominee for Ad Astra’s Proof in 2023) is desperate for the Nationals to be held in Miami to fulfil a personal ambition; as #11 Madeline Armit is knowledgeable and serious, but will she make a college team?; as #13 Tainika Kane-Potaka shows great comic timing as the tomboy who has a quip for every occasion; #14, Emma Black, is desperate to stay close to her bestie (#7) but at what price?; and Sharnee Tones is perfectly cast as #25, the team coordinator, trying to keep the girls motivated, well trained and displaying decorum in public, while dealing with some shifting priorities in her personal life. Even casting Doll Hunt as the alternate Soccer Mom, is a fleet-footed manoeuvre that shows dedication to innovation. Doll only has a short time on stage, but he creates a captivating scene that brings everyone together, including the audience, for a dramatic concluding moment.

DeLappe’s dialogue starts out overlapped, loud and fractured, but very soon becomes more coherent as the story moves on. The pace is also helped by some cleverly devised warm-up scenes and a witty dance number (choreographed by the director) as the team spirit strengthens. Any overacting or upstaging would have ruined this multi-layered and nuanced story, but director, Caitlin Hill, has shown her skill in deftly balancing all the parts so that everyone achieves their comic moment while contributing to the overall drama as the pieces of the girls’ stories come together. This collective always deserve credit – in this case, Assistant Director, Samara Louise, Production Assistant, Michaela Faux, Stage Manager, Carys Maguire, Lighting Designer, Cale Dennis, and (another Matilda Award nominee), Composer & Sound Designer, Justin Harrison. This is a great ensemble show and, for Matilda-Award nominated director, Caitlin Hill (for Proof in 2023) it’s a winning choice of material with a superb local cast, scoring another ‘back of the net’ moment for the Ad Astra team!

Beth Keehn

Find out more: https://www.adastracreativity.com/productions/the-wolves

Photos credit: Ad Astra