Theatre
The Maids
Les Bonnes
Jean Genet · 1947
Synopsis
In their mistress's absence, two domestic servants who are sisters, Claire and Solange, take up in her bedroom a game they often repeat: one plays Madame, the other plays her sister, and the ritual allows them to voice the hatred they bear toward the woman who employs them. Through anonymous letters, they have had Madame's lover, Monsieur, put in prison. They learn over the telephone that he has just been released.
Context
The play was first staged in April 1947 at the Théâtre de l'Athénée, directed by Louis Jouvet. Published in May 1947 in the journal L'Arbalète, it was reworked by its author, who produced a definitive version in 1954. It brings together three female roles, Claire, Solange and Madame, and one character who is never seen, Monsieur. It is freely inspired by a news item of 1933, the Papin sisters affair, two maids from Le Mans.
Who it is for
A play for three actresses, set entirely in a single room on a single evening.
Prizes and reception
In English, Bernard Frechtman's translation, The Maids, was published with a preface by Jean-Paul Sartre.
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