Following a successful weeklong run at the Etcetera Theatre, Nomads of Bazar are transferring Jean Genet's classic, The Maids, to the Greenwich Playhouse. The play was last performed in Greenwich* in 1974 and starred Glenda Jackson, Susannah York and Vivien Merchant, who all went on to act in the successful film of the same name.
In the secrecy of Madame's boudoir, surrounded by a sweet scent of gladioli and mimosa, two sisters viciously plot revenge against their employer...
Loosely based on the infamous Papin sisters, who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter, Nomads of Bazar's take on The Maids is staged as a truly modern tale of the beautiful and the damned.
Fusing pop culture and our obsession with the media in the 21st century, The Maids challenges the boundaries between love, sexuality and criminal intent. The Maids stars Emilija Ellen (Blind Fate) as Solange, the eldest sister and driving force in the plot to kill Madame. The bolshie and extravagant employer, Madame is played by Claire Spence (Primeval, Doctors). Completing the line up is Irena Grgona (Bad Cake) who plays younger sister Claire; sensitive, slightly unhinged and easily led by Solange...or so it seems. Directing the cast is Gael Colin (Dangerous Corner, Much Ado About Nothing).
Emilija Ellen comments, "Madame always means well and truly believes that her maids worship the ground she walks on. However, her love for Monsieur consumes her, leaving her completely unaware of the murderous plot the sisters are hatching."
Claire Spence adds, "It's been a wonderful challenge to play the role of the feisty Madame and bring Genet's script to life for a new and contemporary audience. This is a play that will set your imagination on fire and leave you begging for more!"
Nomads of Bazar's The Maids is a production that will assault all your senses! Fast paced and as time pressured as the world we live in today, it questions, unsettles and moves. Bittersweet and haunting, it stays with the audience long after the play has finished...
9th June - 5th July 2009
PRESS NIGHT: Thursday, 11th June @ 8pm
Tues-Sat @ 8pm | Sun @ 4pm
Tickets: £12; £10 (Conc.)
Box office 020 8858 9256 | boxoffice@galleontheatre.co.uk
NOMADS OF BAZAR was founded in 2008 by Emilija Ellen and Irena Grgona who both studied the Meisner technique of acting with Tom Radcliffe at The Actors Temple, London, and with the legendary William Esper at the William Esper Studio, New York City. Claire Spence joined the company in 2009 as the third establishing member, having trained at The Poor School, London and also with Tom Radcliffe at The Actors Temple. Inspired by their teachers and Robert Rodrigues' ‘Rebel without a crew' approach, the Nomads decide to "do it themselves". The troupe was formed with an unwavering belief and conviction that theatre is a powerful and much-needed art form in the world today.
www.nomadsofbazar.com www.twitter.com/NomadsTheMaids Nomads arrive...unfurl their carpets and tents...perform...and leave...
Jean Genet (19th December, 1910 - 15th April, 1986) the son of a prostitute was born and died in Paris, France. Genet spent some time in prison for petty crimes before becoming a controversial playwright - this and his homosexuality often informed his work. The Maids was written in 1946 and depicts a disturbing struggle of the underprivileged and their oppressors. Two maids driven to the brink of sanity, contemplate the impossible in order to free themselves of Madame's overbearing
control.
GREENWICH PLAYHOUSE
Greenwich Station Forecourt, 189 Greenwich High Road, London SE10 8JA
www.galleontheatre.co.uk
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