The Wolves
by Sarah DeLappe
directed by Melissa Rain Anderson
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Studio
January 18, 2019
Esmeralda Garza, Mary Katharine Harris
Photo by Jon Gitchoff
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
The Rep has a new show in its Studio, and it’s a great one. The Wolves is a compelling, realistic look at life through the eyes of the various members of a suburban girls’ soccer team. It’s a richly portrayed world, with an impressive script and especially insightful dialogue and language rhythms. As presented at the Rep Studio, it’s a well-cast production that’s fascinating from beginning to end.
Presented on a simple but effective artificial turf-dominated set by James Wolk, the audience is introduced to the teenage players on the Wolves, a girls’ indoor soccer team. There’s no preamble. We are simply plunged into the middle of a conversation–or rather, several at the same time–as the girls warm up and stretch for practice. The players are identified by number rather than name–although at least two have names we will find out eventually–and the routine is repeated with variations throughout most of the play. There are warm-ups, drills, talks about soccer and hopes for college recruitment, and comparisons to the other teams they will be playing. In the midst of the soccer talk, and interspersed throughout, are the hopes, dreams, and struggles of these girls–their relationships with family, their romantic interests and pursuits, their varied outlooks on life. One of the players, #46 (Mary Katherine Harris), is new, with a somewhat mysterious background, and she has an initially awkward time integrating into the close-knit team of other girls who all seem to have grown up together, playing together for years. The captain, #25 (Rachael Logue) acts as leader and quasi-coach, directing the practices much of the time. There are a variety of personalities here, from the socially awkward but outgoing #46 and the authoritative #25, to the socially conscious but still somewhat sheltered #2 (Cecily Dowd), to the adventurous, partying #7 (Keaton Whittaker) and her slightly less adventurous best friend #14 (Cassandra Lopez), to the socially anxious, soft-spoken goalkeeper #00 (Esmeralda Garza), and more. The tone shifts quite a bit as the play progresses through the soccer season, and as each game becomes more crucial and life events become more stressful. There’s humor, drama, and intense emotion here, but I won’t say anymore because it would spoil too much. The power of this show comes from watching the events unfold, and feeling the emotions along with the players. It’s especially well-structured, with events unfolding in a way that leads the viewer to try to guess what’s coming next.
This is an unusual play in that it’s a story, a conversation, and a series of soccer practices all at once, requiring a lot of quick exchanges of dialogue, as well as physical fitness and dexterity, as the players warm up, stretch, and perform soccer drills throughout the production. It’s a little bit daunting at times sitting so close as the cast members kick soccer balls around so close to the seating areas on either side of the field. This staging emphasizes the immediacy of the piece, as does the quick-paced staging by director Melissa Rain Anderson. The technical aspects, from the set to the simple but effective lighting by John Wylie and sound by Rusty Wandall, to the authentically accurate costumes by Marci Franklin, help to maintain the realistic tone of the production, supporting the top-notch performances of the first-rate cast.
The cast here is especially strong. With a list of characters who are identified mostly by numbers, each cast member impressively manages to make each individual unique personality shine through. It’s an ensemble piece, and the ensemble chemistry is strong, with energetic performances from all of the players. The whole cast (also including Maya J. Christian as #13, Colleen Dougherty as #8, and Nancy Bell as “Soccer Mom”) is excellent, with particularly memorable turns from Harris, Garza, Whittaker, Lopez, Logue, and Dowd. The Wolves are a team, and the teamwork is apparent in this cast.
The Wolves is a play that takes you into its world immediately, and it can be a bit jarring at first, although the experience is ultimately especially rewarding. It’s an especially clever, insightful script, impressively performed by the strong cast at the Rep. There are a few twists, but they are admirably not telegraphed and don’t seem like tricks, either. This is a dynamic, cohesive, intense, and supremely rewarding production. It’s a show worth rooting for.
Cast of The Wolves
Photo by Jon Gitchoff
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting The Wolves in its Studio theatre until February 3, 2019.
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