Reviews
Review of 'The Maids' at
Wolverhampton Arena, Feb 15th 2007
Genets ‘The Maids’
Five Ways Theatre
The Nightingale Club, Birmingham
16th July 2007
Cast;
Claire : Jeremy Williams
Solange : John Harby
Madame : Jennifer Bosomworth
Genets ‘The Maids’ a sordid tail of hatred, humiliation, envy and
destruction as the titular maids plot the death of their mistress.
The play starts with Claire, who we believe is the mistress
ordering Solange to do chore after chore in the rudest and cruellest
manner, we soon realise that both are maids acting out a fantasy
that releases them from the humdrum servitude of their existence.
The plot revolves around these fantasy scenes and the real life
drama of the arrest of the Madame’s lover, orchestrated by letters
sent the police penned by Claire. Culminating in a disturbing final
scene when the fantasy is finally enacted, with a disturbing twist.
As directed by playwright Genet, the maids are played by men,
a difficult piece for both audience and actors with the constant
shifting of character and personalities, was expertly played by
the cast of three.
Jennifer Bosomworth completely captured the supercilious
nature of the Madame, unaware of the hatred around her and
bringing a schizophrenic comedy to the proceedings. Her strong
presence captured the essence of the snobbish and ego-centric
Madame, highlighting the class tension
between her and the Maids...
The Maids can be seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival : Venue 45,
39 Jeffrey Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DH
From August 13th till August 25th 2007

