Review: THE WOLVES Scores Big with Edmonton Audiences at The Citadel

Every week, a U17 girls' soccer team convenes at the sports dome. Fiercely determined to maintain their team's winning streak, the girls go head-to-head with their rivals and each other, every player desperate to stake her claim as an outstanding player and leader of the pack.

The first production in The Citadel Theatre's 2022/2023 Highwire Series, The Wolves enjoyed an acclaimed 2016 Off-Broadway premiere and was later shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize. Sarah DeLappe's poignant and darkly humorous script comes alive under Vanessa Sabourin's direction and joins the ranks of the unique theatrical pieces supported by The Maggie Tree.

From the moment the audience steps foot in the intimate black box performance space, it's clear that a one-of-a-kind production awaits. A broad rectangle of bright green turf is fringed on either side by the ground-level and balcony audiences, resulting in an unconventional and immersive viewing experience. Production designer Whittyn Jason's set-up also features four different benches flanking the turf on both sides, serving as backpack drop-off spots and pre-show gossip hotspots. The outstanding ten-person cast makes full use of the space whether engaging in group stretches, jogs, or soccer drills. In addition to impeccable acting, the performers demonstrate near-perfect control of the various onstage soccer balls and share palpable team spirit.

Though the characters' names are never revealed, each is distinguished by their respective jersey number. The perfectionist team captain #25 (Marguerite Lawler) leads her peers #13 (Michelle Diaz), #7 (Daniela Fernandez), #14 (Jameela McNeil), #2 (Sokhana Mfenyana), #11 (Pauline Miki), #8 (Asia Weinkauf-Bowman), #46 (Kaeley Jade Wiebe), and goalie #00 (Dean Stockdale). Each performer fully disappears into their roles, embodying teen angst to near-delirious joy to tearful vulnerability. By the time one of the girls' moms (played by Lebo Disele) arrives on the field, the audience has undertaken a harrowing and humourous emotional journey alongside the players.

Though there is much to admire in this 90-minute production, the dialogue in the first 30 minutes is heavily steeped in hot-button topics at the expense of character development. Ongoing refugee crises, genocide, capital punishment, immigration, and female reproductive rights are among the many important issues touched upon. Though not unusual discussion topics among teenage girls, these issues would have perhaps been more impactful had the script included fewer of them and created room for more nuanced conversations. Despite its slow start, The Wolves rapidly picks up speed, keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, and has them rooting for the teenaged athletes.

The Wolves plays at The Citadel's Rice Theatre until October 30.

Photos by Nanc Price for The Citadel Theatre, a Maggie Tree production of The Wolves (2022). A full list of cast and creative team can be found at CitadelTheatre.com.

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