Role-play and murder

A playwright and convicted felon, French dramatist Jean Genet had a knack for making heads turn with his sinister depictions of society. His play The Maids is no exception, and Portland State University’s Theater Department is bringing the translated version to the stage for two nights.

The show is part of a thesis requirement for graduate students Mark Hayes and Kevin Crowe. Hayes directed the show and Crowe designed the lighting. Another student in the theater department, Katelyn Redinger, ran prop design for the show.

Like Genet’s other plays, The Maids is subversive and absurd. Two sisters, Solange and Claire, work as servants for a wealthy Madame and have developed an obsessive love-hate relationship with her. While the Madame is away from the house, they role-play her authoritarian position. The role-playing becomes a game of victimization and violence, even leading to thoughts of murder.

The Maids, which opened in 1947, was Genet’s first play. He based it loosely on a true story in which two maids, sisters Christine and Lea Papin, brutally murdered their wealthy employer and her daughter in 1933. It was an important piece in expanding public interest in theater of the absurd.

In Solange and Claire’s fantasy world, sadomasochism and authority positions play a significant role. The same intense love and hate that they feel for their mistress is felt for each other as well. As sisters and servants who work together, their identities become entangled as they engage in games of servitude and dominance.

Since its premiere, The Maids has been staged regularly in France and the United States. It was also adapted as a film in 1974. The production at PSU is being produced by Samuel French Inc. and will be running tonight and tomorrow night.