BWW Review: Stray Cat Theatre Presents Sarah DeLappe's THE WOLVES

Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Broadway World

REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS

The playwright has composed dialogue that flows like notes on a music sheet ~ the girls' words often overlapping yet ultimately distinguishable and harmonious. The director has excelled in guiding the players ~ nine remarkable actresses ~ to move and talk to the beats of the script with near synchronization. For a full ninety minutes, each member of this cast ~ Elizabeth Broeder, Shannyn Hall, Samantha Hanna, Erin Malimban, Julia Murphy, Shannon Phelps, Sarah Schalick, Taylor Shepard, and Jillan Walker ~ imbues her character with depth and nuance.

To capture the brilliance of this unique work, you need to put yourself in (or be open to understanding) a Generation Z teenage-girl state of mind. Because no sooner do the lights go up on a long rolling field of bright green astroturf than streams of consciousness ~ sometimes very funny, sometimes quite poignant ~ flow among nine high schoolers vigorously stretching and lunging in unison in advance of a soccer match.

There is nothing in this play that suggests that their talk is trivial. Their minds are active on matters that are to them of importance. As the play progresses, matters get more personal. Secrets are shared. A new girl joins the team, and fitting in is not without its challenges. Accidents happen. Tragedy happens.

In the face of the personal dramas that emerge over the course of all the workouts and all the games, whatever fate befalls individual members, the team, The Wolves, remain in full force and fully fierce.

Bottom line: Unequivocal thumbs up for THE WOLVES.