Wolf Kisses, a
newly translated piece from Spanish playwright Paloma Pedrero, presents an
incredibly pessimistic view of love as a prison. It is a powerful emotion that can even drive
us insane.
The nature of that prison is different for the varying
characters within the play. The main
protagonist is Ana (Katerina Watson), a young woman returning home to her
family in the country whilst she waits for her lover to join her. She is (in a rather clichéd turn) a dreamer,
lost in a fantasy world of passionate novels.
Her life is quite literally a fairytale: she scorns other suitors and
the wishes of her father (a tender portrayal from Jon Millington), exiling
herself in a prison of her own mind as she awaits her prince – but does he even
exist? Or has she written the letters he
sends her herself? This is left open for
interpretation as Pedrero explores the boundaries between love and illusion.
The main issue, however, is that Ana is simply not a
sympathetic character. Wolf Kisses is meant to be a poetic
morality tale, but Ana is a fantastical construction in a world of
naturalism. Rather than us believing in
her plight, she comes across instead as a weak and petulant girl who doesn’t
have the strength to confront her issues – even with an, at times, touching
performance from Watson. You can’t help
but feel for her father trying to shake her into life.
Of far more interest is Ana’s friend Luciano, sensitively
portrayed by Patrick Holt, who struggles with his own sexuality. Where her prison is imaginary and
self-inflicted, Luciano is forced to conform to the prison of society as he
buries his feelings and, under the demands of his mother, gets married. This is a real and tangible issue – Ana, by
comparison, seems absurd.
The minimal set presents a simple backdrop to the narrative;
Spanish guitar from Andrei Ionescu gives an enjoyable hint of context; the
translation from Roxana Silbert is lucid and direct; and the cast offer some
fine performances. At its core, though,
Pedrero’s play is imbalanced and flawed.
3/5
Watch: Wolf Kisses runs until 27th July.
