“The Maids” by Jean Genet is a play not given to a conventional plot breakdown. It is designed to repeatedly dissolve audience perceptions as soon as they are formed. Mirrors are the dominant feature of the play, both physically and metaphorically. The characters, two maids and their Madame, serve as mirrors for each other. They also look in mirrors literally every time they turn around.

Most of the dialogue is given to the two maids, who engage in playacting in Madame’s bedroom while she is out. They happen to be sisters. They take turns playing the Madame role and the maid role. They are thus mirrors of Madame in their role-playing. It emerges that they are hatching a conspiracy to murder Madame, and that Solange (the elder sister) has written letters turning in Madame’s lover for theft. Their playacting is partially a rehearsal to murder Madame and partially sadomasochistic ritual to get vicarious revenge on Madame and to release themselves from the humiliation they feel due to their station in life. They hate themselves, and they hate each other, because each sister sees in the other a reminder of her own low status. They also hate Madame for the way she makes them feel.

They take their play-acting, along with the vicious circle of reflection in the mirroring effect, to its ultimate logical extreme. Claire (the younger sister) commits suicide while she is pretending to be Madame. The hatred in the mirror bounces back with a fatal effect. Solange regards it as a victory. It is meant to be taken symbolically, not literally. It is a statement about class politics.

I recommend “The Maids” for those who like intensity, but those who don’t might find it hard to sit through with stamina. There are few leavening moments of humor in this play. They are all provided by the brief appearance of Madame, who is a parody. The rest of the play is unmitigated display of heavy-duty emotion on the part of the maids. Solange’s character is especially fond of fiercely defiant monologues. I found it enjoyable for the most part. At times, however, I felt that I and the audience could have used an emotional break, a lighter moment, to help us continue to follow the play to the bitter end.