To attend a show and be captivated by the music, the humour and characters is one thing. But to attend a show and be transported to another time and watch two sisters spiral from maids to murderers is another.
Written by Jean Genet and directed by Francesca Butler, ‘The Maids’ tells the story of a pair of sisters condemned to a life of serving their rich employer, whose game of pretend soon turns sinister.
With Lucia Boulenz as ‘Claire’, Becca Millard as ‘Solange’ and Nicole Smith as ‘Madame’, this trio clearly worked hard to understand their roles and deliver an intense performance.
Produced by Leeds Arts Centre,‘The Maids’ was a perfect representation of how much can be achieved with a diligent cast and a small set. They did an exceptional job of portraying the domestic world of maids and their mistresses in the 1940’s. A particularly brilliant moment showed Solange descending into madness, pacing from corner to corner and speaking to a set of empty chairs. Becca Millard’s representation of a woman gone mad from cruelty is remarkable. Her desperate cries and witchy cackles truly sent unquestionable shudders through the audience.
From the first moments, we were tricked into believing that Claire was the Madame. Lucia Boulenz
delivers an amazingly ignorant speech as her character pretends to be Madame, mastering the mammoth task at hand and delivering an incredible performance.
The cast never failed to interact with the set around them. The use of different dresses and costume changes were a clever indicator of the ever-changing mental states of the sisters, a creative decision Francesca Butler should be proud to have made.
Never failing to capture my attention during the play, Nicole Smith was the perfect casting for Madame. Though her time on stage was shorter, she was certainly a highlight of the show. Her comically exaggerated interpretation of Madame was well-received and a true example of just how much an actor can do with a smaller role.
Whilst the sinister nature of the plot was clear throughout, the cast gave us the bonus of a comedy, lifting the mood in all the right places.
‘The Maids’ was a splendid ode to the Leeds Arts Centre and their hard-working team. It was a grand evening watching the performance, and I hope to see more of them in future.
Photographs by Mark Hillyer, True North Studio Ltd.
