The Maids
22 October 2025
Donmar Warehouse
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Maids, currently running at the Donmar Warehouse until 29 November, is a bold new reimagining of Jean Genet’s absurdist play, adapted and modernised by Kip Williams.
Set in an influencer’s penthouse, her two maids run wild, wearing her luxury garment while mimicking her entitled behaviour in secret. Their “Madame” is away, busy trying to save face in public as her boyfriend is being prosecuted for various financial crimes, so sisters Claire and Solange while their time away displaying their deep derision and hatred for Madame and her luxury lifestyle. The show is hurtled into modern times with references to social media, materialism, and even Labubus. Staged with phone videos projected onto the mirrored backdrop, there is a lot of speaking into their smartphones while using ridiculous filters and openly being hostile against their Madame. Claire and Solange role-play in a dizzy frenzy, swapping role of maid and Madame frequently while losing grip on reality.
Bizarre plot jumps are in the nature of absurdist plays of course, but this staging seems to have so much contempt for women in general, it’s uncomfortable to watch. The sheer misogyny and deep hatred of feminine interests and behaviour is absolutely staggering. While acting performances are incredibly intense, the entire play revolves around a deep derision of women.
The class critique of the original gets completely lost in a storm of social media madness that feels more like commentary of younger generations that an examination of society as a whole. The aggressive self-absorption of the maids overshadows that of Madame by a strong measure, circumventing the idea that an entitled employer who lives in a completely different world of luxury leads to the breakdown of mistreated servants. A very overdrawn and overly dramatic production that loses its meaning in a storm of madness.
