Jean Genet (1910-1986), delinquent, thief, poet, novelist, playwright, political activist, spent much of his early life in reformatories and prison. He briefly joined the Foreign Legion only to be dishonourably discharged. His works were controversial for their explicit and often deliberately provocative portrayal of homosexuality and criminality.
The Maids, his first critical success as a playwright, is a sado-masochistic, homoerotic game/ritual of servitude and domination played out by two of society’s outcasts. It premiered in Paris in 1947 and was directed by the great Louis Jouvet.
The story, a highly stylised clash between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, is based on a true 1933 murder case in which two sisters, servants, killed their mistress for her dresses and jewellery.
Jean-Paul Sartre (who along with Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso) was instrumental in getting Genet out of prison) always said that Genet wanted the roles to be played by men.
I have seen both male and female actors do it but have yet to see a totally successful performance. The only English director who really knew how to stage Genet was Lindsay Kemp.
The play begins with the maids invading their mistress’s boudoir, dressing up in her clothes and play-acting at being servant and mistress. The boudoir designed by Rosanna Vize, with flowers all over the place, looks like a florist shop. There are tall mirrors and cupboards full of clothes and accessories. The set is initially curtained on all sides and looks like a showcase.
Rewritten and directed by Kip Williams, Genet’s 1 hour 40-minute psychodrama, acted without interval, is modernised with the use of smart phones and videos. The production is technically adroit, but fantasy and reality are blurred too much to be emotionally involving.
The servants are played by Lydia Wilson and Shia Saban. The mistress is played by Yerin Ha. Their shriekingly loud and wildly hysterical ratatat performances are so extreme as to be exhausting to watch.
To learn more about Robert Tanitch and his reviews, click here to go to his website. 
