REVIEW: FOLKLORICA @ DRAYTON ARMS THEATRE

🎭 Diagnosis

📍 Drayton Arms Theatre, 153 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 0LJ

🗓 Wednesday 17th September 2025

⭐️⭐️.5

A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP, SOLIDARITY, AND STRUGGLE

FOLKLORICA takes us back to the Industrial Revolution, introducing us to protagonist Mira and fellow factory worker friends who’ve bonded over a hatred of their long, laborious working days, which they do for little pay. On top of this, there’s a new boss in town who is malicious and known for his predatory advances. Written and directed by Mexican-American artist Jade Alvara, the play mixes everyday struggles with touches of magical realism.

As I mentioned, Mira is at the centre of our story, and her character is played with real warmth and emotion by Nicole Schretlen Montes. Mira is pregnant at the manipulative hands of the boss and is desperately seeking guidance. Her friends and fellow workers are right by her side. It’s this depiction of female friendship that I loved most about the play. Isabella (Sandra Vergara), Gloria (Grecia De La Paz), Sarafina (Angee Sanchez Garcia), and Carmen (Micaela Prada) each bring something different to the group, but they gather around Mira in an authentic and heartfelt way. Their bond feels genuine, and even when their values clash, there’s respect and strength in how they stand together.

The play covers a lot in its short runtime: religion and the seeming silence of God, abortion and the complicated feelings around it, climate and industry, workers’ rights and inequality. Sometimes these themes came through clearly, while other times they felt like ideas that were raised but not fully explored. Boss Richard Malus, played by Solal Vergara Costantini, was, at times, a little over the top in his villainy. But this could have been intentional – because as the play progressed, it seemed to me he was less a person and more a symbol of greed and industrial power.

There’s a lot to admire in how the world of the play is staged – especially as there were very few props. The costumes were striking, and the factory scenes were cleverly done, with the women miming the repetitive motions of work. Despite the minimal props, the cast managed to bring their environment to life in vivid ways. There was also a good balance of humour, which helped keep the story from feeling too heavy. And I found that the laughter made the more emotional moments hit harder.

Some scenes stood out as being especially powerful. Mira’s song in Spanish was filled with raw emotion and didn’t need any translation to land. Another was the visit to the healer in the woods, where the sudden silence of the background music gave the scene real weight.

I found this silence especially noticeable because there were earlier points in the play where the music had felt a little jarring to the scene. For example, the rhythmic music used during the factory and emotional scenes at times clashed with the tone, and the bursts of dance sometimes felt a bit random. 

When Mira and her friends finally get the chance to face their boss, I felt the scene was a little rushed and that the ending felt too straightforward. I was hoping some of the magic that was introduced earlier would have some role to play in this finale, something that for me, would have added a bit of extra sparkle.

Overall, FOLKLORICA is an ambitious and heartfelt play. It celebrates women’s strength, friendship and resilience, and while some ideas felt crammed in or underdeveloped, there were moments of humour, emotion and solidarity that I enjoyed.

Estelle Luck

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Folklorica was gifted by Drayton Arms Theatre who invited me to watch the show on behalf of Pink Prince Theatre in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Nicole Schretlen Montes as Mira Gonzalez; Sandra Vergara as Isabella De La Crus; Grecia De La Paz as Gloria Aguilar; Angee Sanchez Garcia as Sarafina Amador; Micaela Prada as Carmen Montes; Solal Vergara Constantini as Richard Malus; Jade Alvara as Mama Milagra

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 10 minutes, with no interval

To keep up to date with all the latest theatre news and more, follow Pink Prince Theatre on social media. Find us on Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky and TikTok.