The Maids (The Seeing Place Theater)

See it if You want to see something completely different from anything else available. It's worth the trip to the East Village for this odd piece.

Don't see it if You don't like to be fully engaged in what you're seeing, or if you are not a fan of small black box theatres.

Also This company is a real treasure, always delivering above and beyond my expectations. I think of them as the little company that could, did, and continues to bring really vibrant theatre to the community.... Read more Read less

See it if You haven't seen this gripping show before, or even if you have. The Seeing Place Theatre always adds to my understanding with their work.

Don't see it if You don't like small intimate theatre, or want something funny. This thoughtful, involving piece speaks to today's growing income inequality

See it if you'd like a chance to reevaluate a classic modern play in our era of enormous power differential between haves & have-nots.

Don't see it if you get claustrophobic in tiny theater spaces: here you will feel the breeze whenever the actors whoosh by.

Also Seeing Place Theater is consistently good at staging modern or older classics, inviting us to reevaluate them in light of the current social moment. When I started in theater as a high school student in the late 1960s, French bad-boy Jean Genet wielded enormous influence. Not so much now. All the more reason to reconsider his work. When I 1st encountered “The Maids,” how French it felt! Surely the social divide between Maid & Mistress wasn’t nearly so huge in the US. Alas, 50 years later our power gap feels a lot like that of this sharply observed analysis of the rites the have-nots carry out in order to maintain some sense of identity when nothing else is available to them. I’d have liked this production to be a bit more precise, grandiloquent of speech & gesture when the 2 maids are performing the games that sustain them (until they don’t). But don’t miss this chance to shiver again to this brilliant script, this time because it dissects our current social dynamic so acutely!... Read more Read less

See it if you're prepared to think while watching a true classic.

Don't see it if you want to sit back and laugh.

Also The three actors do a fine job of tackling a play that is not exactly a walk in the park. Could I offer suggestions - sure - but I was pleasantly surprised. However, it's rarely if ever a good idea for one of the actors to also direct the play.... Read more Read less

See it if You would like a well-acted production of a play about play-acting maids and their fantasies run amock

Don't see it if You want everything to be a neat package without derangement

See it if like to see the play where craziness took over 2 maids and joyfull game became a diagnosis. Two talented actresses,one actress trying hard

Don't see it if Dislike small theatre, dark comedies with the fantasmagoric dialogs and at times slow and uneven performance; want a solid ending

Also Gaia Visnar is good and mischievous as one of the maids;Christine Redhead as Madam all the flirt and makes you wonder why maids hate her.Erin Cronican is trying hard but she is the weakest link, maybe because of the oversize shoes, maybe her voice, or just struggle with some lines.
So sweet that cast stay in the lobby to chat with people... Read more Read less

See it if you like plays that interlock fantasy and reality and blur the lines between where fantasy ends and reality begins.

Don't see it if you like clear linear plots and to know exactly what is REALLY happening. Are not a fan of dark comedies and intentional overacting.

Also This ran in rep with the previously reviewed Measure for Measure. The synchronies I see are an ambiguous ending, exploration of different types of lust, and effects of asymmetries in power. IMO she doesn't die as they maintain themselves through fantasy and if they had actually killed the Madam the fantasy would have to end. To me the mixing of roleplaying and "reality" allowed a smooth changing from over the top comedy to darker themes. I can see the tone changes being jarring particularly in that (this is my first experience with this play) my guess is other actors would choose to play different scenes as partly or wholly roleplaying then these did. But as I say I think it is fun to blur the lines of when the play is "real" and when its "fantasy". It can lead to an interesting discussion. Its also interesting to see that good maids can't be good killers because they want things to be clean, right, and perfect- murder is a dirty business.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy existential stories

Don't see it if you need clearly laid out plots

See it if your interested in Genet's ideas about how the underprivileged and underappreciated might react to their lack of an escape.

Don't see it if you recognized, like I did, that the real story, that Genet based this play on, is much more interesting today.

Also As Conrad has suggested earlier, the play would be better with male leads. The homoerotica and incest themes that that would invoke would involve the audience with individuals facing impenetrable barriers because of their lifestyle. Of course, that story could not be told today without embracing vicious stereotypes.unacceptable on the stage.

The true story of two maids that murdered their employer and her daughter shows that the helplessness here portrayed is false. The maids, in real life, asserted power over privileged and class - a much more interesting topic today.... Read more Read less

See it if you appreciate young talent giving all to their performances. You like drama that allows you to contrast past haves and have-nots to today.

Don't see it if you want spiffy action - this ongoing plotting is not the most exciting. You have to view this pay as a product of another age.

See it if Two maids play role games thinking of way to kill their mistress.

Don't see it if Dark at time and confusing too. If you are looking for a funny story.

See it if you want a chance to see a famous play in the early style of French theater of the absurd.

Don't see it if you don't have patience for a sometimes slow play that veers between absurdity and melodrama.

Also The actress playing Madame is young--perhaps too young. Madame hardly seems neither hateful in her behavior nor worth hating. But then the point may be that the maids hate themselves and not Madame, despite asserting that they do. I probably should read the play.
The night I saw the play, it seemed there were a few times that the players had momentary lapses of memory regarding their lines.
The Seeing Place, however, is always resourceful and presents plays are usually worth visiting or re-visiting.... Read more Read less

See it if A play that has some good acting and direction. If you dont care that its not great, however.

Don't see it if It is not a fantastic all around story but interesting enough.

See it if You don't mind small production and relatively small stage. Not sure if the sister or the madam got killed in the end.

Don't see it if You need a bit more space with your seat. Or if you are too tired...

See it if One of the great scripts in theater- playing with paranoia and fantasy.

Don't see it if Uneven acting. The space could use also use a little more acoustic panelling- voices got too much volume and reverb throughout in setting.

See it if you want to revisit a classic by "bad boy" Genet; you support indie theatre; you were assigned a term paper on it; you can overlook flaws

Don't see it if crisp speech & riveting acting are essential; overheated cellars make you sleepy; class warfare themes bug you; you've yearned for servants

Also When Claire & Solange are left to their role-playing, the dramatic tension in Genet's text was lacking in their performance -- especially in Solange (Erin Cronican). Sunday evening Apr. 7, Erin tripped on her lines, seemed hesitant, was often at odds with the dialogue.
EX: Though she's "lusting" over the milkman, this wantonness never comes thru.

Gaia, who played Claire, was much more confident, more physical, did a lot of hair tossing, and was more vibrant.

When elegant Madame appears, she is dainty where they are cloddish, emotionally authentic where they are pretending, sexy where the maids are sexless, however, unfortunately lacking the snappy cruelty that would have heightened the conflict.
Consequently, the drama drags thanks to 'talky' surreal scenes with not a lot of action.

Note: In the original production of Genet’s The Maids, the author wanted males to play the titular roles.... Read more Read less

See it if Interested in class critique and how fantasy and reality can merge with bad results. And you like tiny theaters

Don't see it if One miscast actor and slow exposition. It wasn't engaging; a number of audience members were nodding off.

Also The actor playing Salange, who is also is the play's director, was not well connected to the material nor well prepared. A number of the line readings were flat, and there were more than a few mistakes. She brought little emotion to a part that needs quite a bit of it to let the play come alive. Sorry...... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a production of this play specifically; want to support small theaters

Don't see it if you want something dark and edgy (the story may be, but this ain't it), want great acting, need big production value

See it if You like plays with difficult plots that are hard to understand. Also if you prefer an intimate setting with a small cast.

Don't see it if You prefer show with a simple plot that you can easily understand and relate to it.

See it if The actresses did a good job. Perhaps inserting a joke here and there wouldve helped. Nice venue and staging.

Don't see it if You must listen closely. Lines were read quickly. I woke up to see others sleeping as well. So sorry but it wasnt good.

See it if support a small theatre group; all seating is good to allow intimate feeling and to experience the acting up close

Don't see it if you dislike small casts, long monologues of imaginations

Also I kept waiting for something to really happen, but the drama never fully materialized for me.... Read more Read less

See it if You just like going to plays

Don't see it if You want a comedy or musical

See it if Great writing and a historically relevant play. Low prices.

Don't see it if You need a perfectly cast trio to make going worthwhile. You expect actor/director to know her lines inside out.

Also The juicy housemaid fantasy does most of the housework itself. Visnar is great at conveying the period feel, and her accent suits the play. Her mane gets so much love that it feels like the fourth character. But coworker Solange (Cronican) feels miscast. She was often hesitant, reaching for lines. Her chopped hair and raspy voice simply make her way too modern and hipster for the role, setting TM off kilter. She's too edgy for the room. Redhead is entertaining; ultimately too young a Madame. Hard to invent a scenario in which she is so wealthy and liberated. Okay set, squeezing into a tight space. But details are off. The phone was obviously too modern for the 1930s. Distracting music intrusively plays throughout, a clunky and overbearing design. Absent convenient late seating by the door, patrons barge in, block views and kill the highly intimate mood to find seats. Patron behind me kept dozing anyway. SP sells noisy concessions. All told, no attention to detail. Seeing Place indeed!... Read more Read less

See it if you absolutely must. See it if you can look past some uneven, listless and lifeless acting and "non" staged staging.

Don't see it if you want to see a show that was intended to shock you... cause this one misses the point. There's no hunger, no urgency.

Also Gaia Visnar did a valiant job as Claire, trying hard to bring a lusty, robust character to life. Christine Redhead as Madame offered a nuanced touch, though she seem awfully young for Madame. However, Erin Cronican (who also directed) was totally off the mark, offering flat line readings (when she wasn't searching for them) and a lack of any passion or energy.... Read more Read less

See it if You love Genet, irrespective of the quality of the production?

Don't see it if I really only enjoyed some of the costuming and 1 of the actors in this. It felt much longer than it was. No part of it worked for me.