A language barrier in a performance is always a risk during the world’s largest international arts festival, and it’s welcome that there is such a breadth of options and variety that a Korean physical theatre company can be seen performing an adaptation of Jean Genet’s cult French play Les Bonnes in a style rarely seen in the UK.
That said, it does mean that there is an inherent possibility that this will obstruct the event’s versatility. To this end, it’s commendable that a transcript of the play’s dialogue was provided before the show, however it was too dark for it to be readable during the performance. As such, the audience’s enjoyment of the piece may largely be dictated by their lingual abilities in Korean, or their pre-existing knowledge of Genet’s story of sapphic sadomasochism. Particularly as the connection isn’t expressed up front in any of the marketing.
The Maids is a simple enough story: a pair of housemaids take a break from their chores and begin sneaking glimpses of the master and mistress in private, and then larking around with their clothes and items in secret. During their fun, they enact dark and extravagant scenarios of them repeatedly dominating their employers, yet ultimately having the tables turned on them, allowing their games to be repeated indefinitely.
It’s a mixed bag of a performance. The opening is more than a little stilted and slow, taking too long to get into things, after which things get into a more appreciable ebb and flow. This is then offset later by some lengthy dialogue exchanges which are only occasionally supported by the movement enough to fully get across the meanings intended, which had the unfortunate effect of eliciting some confused noises and giggles from some teenage members of the audience who clearly couldn’t work out what was going on for most of the play.
It's a shame, as those who already know the play will undoubtedly get a lot out of this performance. It’s well performed by both dancers, with solid direction for the most part from Eun Kyeung Jeong. The distinct personalities of Claire and Solange are plainly clear and well realised, and the feats of physical movement are excellent, especially in the larger moments, especially the soap sud tug-of-war, which is a mirthful highlight.
But ultimately it pains me to only give this a middling recommendation, as it comes with an unfair expectation of pre-existing knowledge, without which it will simply be a baffling, if not unattractive, spectacle. One which could even have been partly assuaged by a simple few lines of explanation at the top of the translation page, or even the show’s Fringe guide itself.