The Maids by Jean Genet in a new version by Kip Williams. The Donmar, 41 Earlham Street, London WC2H until 29 November 2025, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner.

The Maids by Jean Genet in a new version by Kip Williams. The Donmar, 41 Earlham Street, London WC2H until 29 November 2025,

4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

“Dazzlingly spectacular.”

Spectacularly staged this version of Genet's 1947 play has been dragged into the mobile phone age by the Australian director Kip Williams. It may not be quite what Genet was trying to do but in its own right it is as visually exciting a production as you will have seen in a long time. The play, based on a true case, is about two maids who spend the day planning to poison their domineering mistress while rummaging through her belongings. Genet wanted the women to be played by men, and it has happened since, but was a step too far at the time. Here they are adequately performed by the cast but the director's efforts – he is suffering from an overdose of the Jamie Lloyd's – overwhelms them although they do cope valiantly with the technical demands and those mobile phones. The set is a flower filled bedroom, the back wall of which is a towering series of mirrored doors behind which are the mistress’s gowns, her jewel collection, and an exit to the rest of the apartment. It is seen at first behind gauze curtains which are eventually pulled back and on to the mirror doors are projected images from those mobile phones. It is quite simply stunning. But realy has nothing to do with what Genet was writing about. His play demands far more that visual delights. It needs performances from the three women that transfix you at the evil that is happening – the maids are appalling but so is the mistress. It is a kind dance of death involving all three after the mistress returns and the maids set about turning what they have fantasised about into reality and demands from the cast performances to match. The sisters are indulging in a battle of their own for supremacy and then when the mistress returns – they have shopped her lover to the police – in one trying to get her to drink the poisoned tea. Technically it is amazing, a wild ride through the world of what people with mobile phones can do with what they hold in their hands on the likes of Instagram. Williams has done this sort of thing before and no doubt will do it again and the play will survive for other actors and directors to tackle in other versions. Genet, an outsider attacking the world he despised, would probably run screaming from the theatre at what has been done to his play but take it for what it is and enjoy. It would have been better had the players managed to overwhelm the technology and left one appalled at what was happening rather than amazed, but they cope well enough. So, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride. An awful lot of flowers get destroyed during the battles.

Cast

Yerin Ha – Madame

Phia Sarah -Solange

Lydia Wilson-  Claire

Creatives

Director – Kip Williams

Set Designer – Rosanna Vize

Costume Designer – Margg Howell

Lighting Designer – Jon Clark

Sound Designer – Dan Balfour

Video Designer – Zakk Hein

Composer – Di Walde