Playwright and novelist Jean Genet was the quintessential outsider in post-war France. A criminal and a homosexual, he nonetheless attracted the admiration of luminaries such as Jean Cocteau and Jean-Paul Sartre. His daring literary experiments and provocative imagery in works like Our Lady of the Flowers fascinated both writers, while the layered symbolism of his plays, particularly The Maids, invites multiple interpretations. In this drama, the servants Claire (Lydia Wilson) and Solange (Phia Sabin) engage in ritualistic power games as they assume the identity of their mistress (Yerin Ha) in scenes that can be read on political, religious, existential, or erotic levels. In Kip Williams’ current staging of Genet’s best-known work, the director seems to adopt a role toward the play similar to that of the maids towards their employer, both reverent and mocking. The production moves between homage and parody, overflowing with theatrical excess. An initial curtain separating audience and actors, while perhaps symbolic, feels unnecessary. Enormous projected close-ups of the performers add spectacle but little insight, and the deafening soundtrack quickly becomes oppressive. The hypermodern dialogue, filled with expletives, and the relentless speed of its delivery overwhelm rather than illuminate, while the deliberate exaggeration of the performances borders on self-parody. This interpretation certainly holds nothing back. At one point, the maids describe their employer as a “cyclone of solipsism,” an accusation that was often hurled at Genet and which could equally well apply to this production. Ultimately, the force of Genet’s parable is buried beneath stylistic gimmicks, and the philosophical depth that usually underpins the play is sacrificed for visual and auditory excess.
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner
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