Saturday, August 23, 2014
Interpreting ‘The Maids’ Through a Shifting Societal Lens
NYTimes.com: Jean Genet’s creepy, sexy play “The Maids,” which had its premiere in 1947, has never gone out of fashion. But in the last several years, it has been riding a new wave of interest, with revivals in Europe and Canada and mash-ups like the Off Off Broadway ensemble Sister Sylvester’s forthcoming “The Maids’ The Maids,” whose cast, according to the company, will include two professional housekeepers.
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This article includes an excellent combination of the history of a specific play and its transition into the contemporary productions. I appreciated that this play gave me insight into a playwright and a play that were clearly very significant, but I had never heard of. Jean Genet's "The Maids" was controversial in its reception in 1947 and continues to be in contemporary productions, addressing social, sexual, and political themes. I am grateful that the article effectively provided background information on the play's earlier productions and its original critiques because it allowed me to get a lot more out of the information about Benedict Andrews' upcoming production. It has genuinely made me interested in reading this play and learning more about Jean Genet's work. The social messages and questions raised through this play sound extremely relevant today and also seem to have had a significant influence in what people said through performance in Genet's time.
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