Wildwoman brings edgy wit and energy to centuries-old story of a royal rebel
At Gateway Theatre, Vancouver actor Synthia Yusuf delves into a Kat Sandler play that takes refreshing risks with the history behind the “Beauty and the Beast” folk tale
Synthia Yusuf in Wildwoman. Photo by David Cooper
Gateway Theatre and Alberta Theatre Projects present Wildwoman at Gateway Theatre from March 26 to April 4
THERE IS SOMETHING delicious about a princess story with a modern-day twist.
Whether it’s the hyper-pop jukebox musical Six, which reimagines the wives of King Henry VIII as pop stars; Sofia Coppola’s indie teen-dream take on Marie Antoinette; or Netflix’s enormously successful Bridgerton and spinoff Queen Charlotte, we can’t keep away from revisiting these stories.
Perhaps it’s the promise of action, drama, and romance. Maybe it’s the over-the-top costumes. Or maybe we, the viewers, can see ourselves in these larger-than-life characters, feeling some days all powerful and other days totally powerless. Whatever the reason, these narratives endure.
Wildwoman, written by Toronto’s Kat Sandler and presented by Gateway Theatre and Alberta Theatre Projects, is based on the true story that inspired the “Beauty and the Beast” folk tale, and is sure to appeal to any fan of the aforementioned genre.
The play follows Cathy—known officially as Catherine de Medici—the new bride of King Henry II of France. Cathy is initially excited to start her new position at court, but finds herself disenchanted with royal life when she learns her sole purpose is to produce babies: male babies, specifically. Her world is turned on its head when she befriends a hairy, beast-like man trapped in the dungeon of her husband’s castle. Her wild side is quickly roused, and with it, a vengeance.
Synthia Yusuf, last seen onstage as Anna in the Arts Club’s production of Disney’s Frozen, takes on the role of Cathy.
In an interview with Stir, Yusuf says that while she wouldn’t call herself a history buff, researching Catherine’s life and times was something she particularly enjoyed about stepping into this role.
“It’s not often that I get to portray a real person that existed,” she says. “So being able to draw so much information and life experience from someone that actually lived was really exciting.”
Working with director Jamie King for the first time, Yusuf says, allowed her to dive deeper into the script.
“[King] thinks so deeply and specifically about all of the characters and every single beat of the play—and this play is so juicy, so it’s awesome to have someone that is so detailed in their approach,” she says. “I’ve done my research coming in, and certainly Jamie has done a ton of their own research as well. So it’s really cool to bring all of the different things that we found out about Catherine, and come together, and get nerdy about the history and the text.”
Playing alongside Yusuf are fellow Vancouver actors Nathan Kay as Henry and Elizabeth Barrett as Kitty, as well as Alberta-based actors N Girgis as Didi and Connor Suart as Pete.
Dressing the actors is Alaia Hamer, whose work recently appeared in Disney’s Frozen on the Stanley BFL CANADA Stage, and in The Dark Lady and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] at Bard on the Beach last summer.
Yusuf, who worked with Hamer on Frozen, expressed particular enthusiasm for the designs. “Hamer is designing the costumes to be quite accurate to the time, with all these French Renaissance-era gowns and outfitting. So it’ll be really cool to have the juxtaposition of being dressed like that, but to be dealing with such a contemporary text.”
In Yusuf’s view, Sandler’s script takes a piece of history that some might consider old and dusty, and gives it exciting new life, with fresh energy and whip-smart wit.
“I think that plays like this don’t get done very often,” Yusuf says. “I describe the play as risky. And I guess what I mean by that is this isn’t going to be something for everyone; there’s strong language, there’s triggering themes. The type of comedy is, in my opinion, hilarious, but maybe to some people it won’t be their cup of tea. It’s a very specific, bold take on a piece of history that a lot of people are familiar with. But what I think is so enjoyable about it [Sandler’s work] is that she has really carved out her own niche, her own place for herself. It’s so new and it’s so refreshing.”
It was recently announced that another of Sandler’s works, Yaga (which takes the myth of Baba Yaga and, in true Sandler fashion, retells it with a darkly comedic twist), will be adapted into a Crave TV series featuring Carrie-Anne Moss, Noah Reid, and Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams.
Of Sandler’s Wildwoman, Yusuf says: “I think a lot of people will really, really enjoy it and be excited about how fresh and feisty and dangerous it is. I think a lot of people are maybe afraid to write something that bold, that sexy. It was thrilling for me to read the script, and if I wasn’t in it, I can just imagine how excited I would be to watch a piece like this.”
If the character of Catherine had a playlist, Yusuf says, it would be filled with Lady Gaga’s latest album Mayhem.
“There’s a lot of references to Cathy’s family being poisoners, and maybe even herself having some dangerous proclivities in poisoning,” she says. “So, honestly, that whole album could be a sort of soundtrack to this play, but I love the song ‘Disease’. I imagine if this was a movie and the credits were rolling, that would be the song that was playing.” 
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