Review: INVASIVE SPECIES, King's Head Theatre

London is buzzing with Evita fever. Each night, Rachel Zegler takes to the Palladium balcony to belt out “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” feeding a West End-wide obsession with the most famous First Lady of Latin America. But tucked away in the quieter streets of Islington, Miss Perón appears in an entirely different incarnation. Maia Novi’s Invasive Species, arriving in London after a wildly successful New York run, reframes the figure of Evita within a meta-theatrical exploration of what it means to be a Latin American actress fighting to break into the American industry.

The show follows Maia Novi, an Argentine acting student at Yale, whose perfectionism and mounting psychological strain lead to her admission to a youth psychiatric ward. There, she confronts the realities of institutional care while grappling with the expectations of the industry, her own ambitions and the weight of her family and background. The play traces her attempt to reconcile these pressures with her need to survive and move forward.

There are several different successful shows embedded within this one structure. Not every strand lands with equal power, but together they form a fascinatingly complex portrait of ambition and the hidden costs of chasing a dream in an industry that proclaims inclusivity while quietly reinforcing bias.

The most arresting thread is its treatment of mental health. Novi and her ensemble shine an unforgiving light on the unequal, often discriminatory treatment of immigrant communities - particularly Latin American women - when navigating systems of care. It’s here that the writing cuts deepest, uncovering the disproportionate stigma borne by those already marginalised. 

Around this, the piece interrogates the foundations of the industry itself: what we claim to value in our art and who we choose to reward. Has the glass ceiling truly been shattered, or are we simply celebrating surface-level progress while leaving structural rot untouched? Do authentic portrayals actually emerge from the casting room, or are they still shaped by the safety nets of tick-box inclusivity? The questions sting precisely because they are left unresolved, handed back to the audience to wrestle with.

Where the show is less successful is in its overarching structure and tension-building devices. It often feels on the cusp of detonating into something searing, but instead lies just shy of full impact. Certain ensemble transitions and group scenes dilute rather than sharpen the play’s intention, slowing the momentum at points where clarity and punch are most needed.

However, Novi herself is mesmerising - instantly enigmatic. She gives us a masterclass in storytelling and is supported by a superbly adaptable ensemble - Kalifa Taylor, Harrison Osterfield, Max Percy and Ella Blackburn - whose multi-roling is delivered with enormous flexibility.  Taylor, in particular, is a standout - nuanced, subtly devastating and compelling.

Visually, the production embraces simplicity - four chairs, LED bar lighting, and lights and microphones for its Evita balcony reimaginings. It’s stark but effective.  A bolder approach to sound design might have added further dimension, but the current form serves the piece’s stripped-back urgency.

Invasive Species may never quite smash through its own ceiling, but what it does achieve is significant. This is a show that thrives because of the urgency of its subject matter and the excellence of the artists delivering it. For an industry that has yet to put the care of its actors at the heart of its practice, Novi’s piece doesn’t close the conversation - it sparks it.

Invasive Species is at the King's Head Theatre until 3 October