The eight-limbed creature referenced in the title of Dimitar Dimitrov and Yordan Slaveykov’s drama is not an arachnid, but rather conjoined twins Martin and Martha. On the eve before their planned surgical separation, Martin is reluctant to go through with the procedure; after all, they have been told there is a 50-50 chance that one sibling may not survive. Although Martha is more than willing to risk her brother’s life for independence, Martin is terrified of losing the sister he loves. The play excels in an early scene of fantasized divergence, in which Martha separates from her twin and—clad in a wet, clinging white dress and blood-red stilettos—sensually imagines her freedom. This seems to promise a less conventional drama, yet the remaining 50 minutes remain in the realm of realism, where an abnormal situation gets conventional treatment. (The tension is undercut by poorly synced supertitles—the play is performed in the actors’ native Bulgarian—which defuse already predictable revelations.) Despite its intriguing premise and strong, visceral performances from Anastassia Liutova and Penko Gospodinov, The Spider feels too safe. Beneath its tangled tissue beats the heart of a straightforward debate drama.—Austin Ruffer
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