Review: The Maids (Donmar Warehouse)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kip Williams made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic with his critically acclaimed reimagining of The Picture Of Dorian Gray, earning Olivier and Tony Awards for its remarkable production. That may be a tough act to follow, and he has not one, but two chances to match its success. Ahead of next year's eagerly anticipated Dracula, Williams has turned his attention to Jean Genet’s The Maids, transforming the intimate Donmar Warehouse to fit his vision. Would his take on this classic see him cleaning up once again?

First performed in 1947, Jean Genet’s The Maids has been seen in many iterations over the years, including another London production at Jermyn Street Theatre earlier this year, but this marks the world premiere of this brand new translation from Kip Williams. The play begins with a maid serving her mistress, but all is not as it seems. Both women are her maids and are role-playing her murder. When the real mistress comes home, will they be able to go through with their fantasy, as their ideas of reality begin to blur?

Williams’ translation updates The Maids to be set in the present day, with an abundance of modern references. Reddit, Uber Eats, Facebook, IKEA and Uber Exec are among the companies referenced here, with a large focus on the influencer lifestyle. While it’s an inspired and seemingly inevitable update to the story, it lacks in subtlety and can feel hammered in at times, risking sacrificing the essence of the story for a cheap laugh or low-hanging fruit. This is most noticeable in the one-dimensional caricature nature of the Mistress when she appears, blurting out every overused phrase, such as “I can’t even”, "the ick" and “That’s the tea” to the point of satire. These insertions add nothing to the story and actually detract from its nature. 

The writing shows moments of brilliance throughout, but often loses its voice, matching the maids in the story as it faces an identity crisis. This proves quite frustrating, as when it’s good, it’s very good. However, other times featured elements you wouldn’t be surprised to see in a school play or even a farcical parody. Williams is clearly talented at his craft, as his impeccable take on …Dorian Gray proved, but here he seems to have limited himself by not honing in on his strengths and letting random ideas play out at the detriment of the story. His direction also suffers from some questionable choices, with the decision to surround the stage in a curtain for the entirety of the first scene a particularly perplexing one, making it harder to see the action and connect with the characters in any way.

Video once again plays a big part in this production. Unlike Dorian Gray, however, this proves to be the biggest flaw with The Maids. With characters filming themselves on iPhones, displayed on looming mirrors doubling as screens behind them, they are seriously overused and lose the novelty fairly quickly. There are only so many times you can watch a character put a filter over themselves to hilariously transform themselves into something completely different before it stops becoming hilarious. I would argue that stopped after the second attempt and felt the inclusion of Shrek in one part was a step too far. However, it continued relentlessly for a large portion of the 1 hour 40 minutes of the play, reducing the whole thing to a gimmick, and not a very effective one at that.

With the cast filming themselves and having to switch through various apps and filters in real time, this also led to some mishaps, including accidentally spoiling the outcome of the play by revealing a snap far earlier than intended. Hitting the wrong button, filter or aiming at the wrong thing again took me out of the show as an audience member, and felt like an idea that wasn’t executed as flawlessly as hoped.

However, there are some great strengths to be found in this production of The Maids. Genet’s story is timeless in itself, and though this is my second iteration of the story I have seen this year alone, it never fails to be captivating as the ante is upped. Williams’ translations do have its moments, though suffer from his own enthusiastic ideas that prove to be a mixed bag. Rosanna Vize’s set design is simply gorgeous, and Zakk Hein should be commended for his video design, even if it didn’t always go according to plan. With striking lighting from Jon Clark and great sound from Dan Balfour, The Maids proves far more consistent in the design elements than it does the writing and direction.

Another key strength is in the stunning performances from the three women in the play, interestingly none of whom are credited with their character names, presumably to highlight how interchangeable each is as they roleplay. Phia Saban and Lydia Wilson have an intriguing dynamic as the sisters who are maids to their Mistress, with changeable natures between them both explored throughout to fantastic effect. Williams’ version demands a degree of chaos that increases as the play reaches its climax. Though some of the choices threaten to lose this clear narrative, it is a testament to both Saban and Wilson in how they manage to keep some sense of structure throughout the madness.

Yerin Ha plays their mistress and, though her stage time is limited compared to her co-stars, she more than makes up for it, leaving a lasting impression with a larger-than-life performance. Having seen Wilson do an impersonation of her before we even meet the real mistress, Ha feels instantly recognisable and plays up to this impression in her own performance. Through exaggerated moments, there is a real edge to Ha’s portrayal, though she is limited to the choices that reduce her to a caricature.

There is a timelessness to The Maids , and there are moments in Kip Williams’ translation that add something new to the story. However, it proves to be a muddled affair with its biggest failing being an over-reliance on something that feels too much of a gimmick. From seeing his last show, I can safely say that Williams is better than what has been presented in this production. Though it is still enjoyable, it feels like it was in dire need of a bit of reigning in - I wanted to leave the theatre with the same sense of awe and wonder I felt after witnessing Dorian Gray. Instead, I left frustrated and slightly underwhelmed. The Maids has its moments, but ultimately, it struggles to serve effectively in a production that is far too messy. 

The Maids plays at Donmar Warehouse until 29th November. Tickets from https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/whats-on/the-maids-fs5q 

Photos by Marc Brenner