Part of this year’s Camden Fringe Festival and the debut play of No Salad Productions, Wild Waxflower explores the trials and tribulations of a young woman’s first night working at an adult entertainment club. Written and starring Siane Faye, the digital performance follows her journey from the changing rooms to the stage, exploring themes of sexuality, identity and religion.
Although a short one-woman piece, Faye certainly commands attention with her stellar performance as this young female character and her inner battle as she decides to step into the world of adult entertainment. There is a lack of dialogue, particularly in the first 10 minutes, yet Faye’s portrays the character’s emotional conflict with just her facial expressions extremely well.
Set within a quiet alleyway in London’s Soho, the grungy backstreet and slightly mellow lighting really sets the tone as well as reflecting the unnamed woman cautiously stepping into unfamiliar territory.
With its mix of close-ups, eye contact and quieter, more reflective moments, Faye’s performance felt both intimate and personal, as we see the character’ tug of war between her faith, sexuality and finding herself. Her discussion of womanhood was particularly moving, how young girls are rarely taught to embrace and explore their sexuality which is a real issue that still needs to be addressed.
As well as the struggles the character faces, turning her back on everything she knows for this new path, we also see the empowerment this gives her. Through subtle changes, we see the growth of this character from Wallflower to “Wild Waxflower” as she takes control. Her voice gets louder, and her eye contact is stronger as she rises both physically and metaphorically into this new more confident character.
With Faye’s emotional portrayal of a young woman’s journey into her own, Wild Waxflower is a production that is powerfully poignant. From start to finish you will be engrossed in this story which offers an insight into the women working in this industry that is often criticised and condemned.
Wild Waxflower is available to watch now on the Camden Fringe website until 29th August. Tickets can be purchased here:
Reviewer: Gemma Prince
Reviewed: 17th August 2021
North West End UK Rating: ★★★★