THE Steel Wasp Theatre Company from Swansea will perform Daniel Defoe's popular romp 'Moll Flanders' at The Torch Theatre next week.
The young Swansea company, well known for its exciting energy-packed productions, was founded in 1997. The five professional actors, directors and designers from Wales launched the company so that its founders could stay and perform in their native Wales, in particular around the Swansea and Port Talbot areas.
Since its launch, the company has toured work by Welsh writer and director Ed Thomas, staged an adaptation of the Russian classic 'The Suicide' and premiered the Welsh play 'Garageland' by Simon Harries (the latter two productions toured to the Torch Theatre in 2000 and 2001).
This year, the company has decided to tackle Daniel Defoe's classic 'Moll Flanders'.
Recently made popular by Alex Kingston from 'ER' in a television version, 'Moll Flanders' is the story of a woman abandoned at birth by her convict mother and who begs, steals and borrows her way through life, manipulating a few powerful but sexually vulnerable men along the way to help her get what she wants.
Steel Wasp founder Nick Evans explained: "In many ways 'Moll Flanders' marks a new departure for the Wasps in that it is primarily a musical, but we hope that all the things people have come to recognise as Steel Wasp trademarks will also still be there. This is obviously a real challenge, but takes traditions of storytelling and gives them a theatrical twist."
Travel, robbery, bloodsport and sex combine as Moll works her way through a string of dangerous liaisons, all the time casting a nervous glance towards the hangman's noose. Classic literature meets visual theatre in this innuendo-packed romp.
A celebration of the frailty of life - when all of us are one step from the gallows.
Moll Flanders plays at the Torch Theatre for one night only on Monday, October 1, at 7.30 pm. Tickets at £6.50 (£4 discounts) are available to book from the box office (telephone 01646 695 267).