Playwright and raconteur (what else would you call a man orphaned by his prostitute mother, who grew into a thief, before finding his niche as a controversial and often banned writer?) Jean Genet's The Maids (translated by Martin Crimp) is a peculiar and provocative one act whose images stay with you long after its 90 minutes are finished. It's an interesting take on the separation of the classes, focusing on the maids of a wealthy mistress and the humiliation she submits them to, although we only briefly glimpse this. The play shows two different reactions to this abusive behavior, and tells its story mostly through the playacting of the maids themselves. It's a fascinating and rarely seen work that's well worth your time, and Upstream Theater's current production is helped by three stellar performances and sharp, incisive direction.
Claire and Solange are the maids in question who carry out their duties for their mistress despite the fact that they obviously despise her and her treatment of them. From the dialog presented it's clear that they often switch roles, taking turns playing the part of their mistress. On this occasion, it's Claire who takes the lead. But, it's Solange who has actually put a fly in the ointment by giving the police information gleaned from the correspondence between her mistress and her lover that lands the lover in jail. When her mistress finally does appear, she's not, at least at first, quite the ogre we've come to expect. But, when news arrives that her lover has been released, she reverts to acting the way she's been portrayed. An intriguing turn of events occurs when she leaves the house to be with him.
Emily Baker and Brooke Edwards are terrific as Solange and Claire, respectively. The “game” they play while the mistress is away reveals the depths of their hatred towards her, and it's interesting watching them act out their feelings in a play within the play. Elizabeth Townsend is very good as the callous Mistress who turns to her maids for comfort in her time of grief, only to toss them aside once her lover is free. All three do amazing work here.
Director Wieslaw Gorski captures the mood of the piece, although I think the interaction between the maids (and their mistress) could stand to be a bit more sexually overt and brutal. It's just a tad too civilized and restrained at times. Jason Coale's scenic design is a vision in decadent pink that's been wonderfully realized. Glenn Dunn's lighting contributes to the atmosphere, and Michele Siler's costumes are perfect fits for the characters.
Upstream Theater's production of The Maids is a provocative and disconcerting presentation that makes for a challenging, but memorable evening of theater, and it continues through March 4, 2012 at the Kranzberg Arts Center.
