There are some energetic performances in this revival of Jean Genet’s renowned absurdist comedy about class and servitude, but the cast’s high-octane delivery and larger-than-life portrayals risk overshadowing some of the play’s subtler nuances.
Written in 1946, the piece explores how two maids, sisters Claire (Irena Grgona) and Solange (Emilija Ellen), re-enact their relationship with their domineering employer, Madame (Claire Spence), as part of a sexual fantasy role-play game that leads to unforeseen violence.
Genet based the play on the real-life tale of the infamous Papin sisters, who brutally murdered their mistress. There are some brilliant one-liners and dark humour in the script, as well as pertinent themes surrounding power and the class system, but these often get washed away in the torrent of the cast’s delivery.
Ellen offers the most nuanced performance, while Spence comes closest to grasping the play’s humour. Grgona’s accent is particularly confusing, resting somewhere between French and Eastern European - something that doesn’t help with an already ambiguous sense of place.
Director Gael Colin’s attempt to modernise the piece by introducing a video recorder throughout feels an unnecessary tangent. Overall, both director and cast could do more to avoid such distractions and instead work on finding the heart of the text - the pain and degradation that would drive two domestic servants to sexual deviancy and murder.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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