As both women disclose what has happened to them, we see Carla softening instead of being resentful of Heather’s affluence.  There are two heart wrenching performances here from Serin Ibrahim as Carla whose childhood was abusive and Cassandra Hercules as Heather, whose marriage may be being destroyed.  This play is both distressing and nasty, a nastiness born out of a damaging history. 

James Haddrell directs skilfully with the intermittent buzzing never letting us forget the wasp, but which woman is the real wasp?  Jana Lakatos’ design has a backdrop of boxed lepidoptera and vespology.

I welcome Greenwich Theatre Productions again making Greenwich a producing theatre, as I remember The Royal Borough of Greenwich disgracefully withdrawing its grant to the theatre in the late 1990s saying, “Theatregoing does not match the profile of people living in the borough of Greenwich”.   I hope reading this comment stings those who retained their council seats. 

My credentials on insects go back to Great Uncle Arthur Loveridge, Naturalist.  The War of the Insect: His accounts of life in East Africa, including his time during the East African campaign, detailed the intense, often difficult, interaction with insects, as described in “The war of the insect”.  Insects Named in His Honor: Although better known for reptiles, several insects were named after him, particularly on the island of St. Helena, where he retired. These include the cranefly Dicranomyia loveridgeana, the blackfly Simulium loveridgei, and the subgenus Loveridgeana of the hoverfly Sphaerophoria.

I found The Wasp  full of tension building to an unexpected climax with many surprising twists along the way and recommend its thrilling plotting.