The Maids review: ‘Uzo Aduba shines in this bonkers but unbalanced production’

Less than ten minutes into The Maids and the ‘C’ word has already been fired off in rapid succession. There’s been violence, spitting in faces, (maybe avoid sitting front row) and a suggestion of incest. It’s easy to see why The Maids caused an outcry of shock when first performed in 1947.

The stage is completely taken over by a huge wooden box and when the sides drop, two statuesque women take centre stage as synth music is blared out across the theatre. One maid hunched over and a mistress in pantomime style make-up looking sassy enough to teach Beyonce a thing or two.

For those not in the know, the story revolves around two under-appreciated maids who regularly act out fantasies of role-play where they alternate between playing the mistress and the maid.

This allows for an opening act full of fast-paced dialogue and physical comedy as Claire (Zawe Ashton) and Solange (Uzo Aduba) act out their dreams of luxury by raiding the glamorous wardrobe of their mistress. It’ll come as little surprise that the Emmy-winning Aduba (Orange is the New Black) masters every opportunity to play with the script, this is as dark as comedy gets but it works.

Then an alarm goes off to signal that the real mistress is returning imminently and the maids hurry to change back into their uniforms and get the place tidied up after their fantasy romp.

It’s in this moment where the script takes a shift as the comedy dulls slightly and the darker undertone comes to play as the maids discuss a plot to murder whilst clearing the stage, before Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael makes an X Factor style entrance amidst shutter doors and blinding spotlights as the genuine mistress of the house.

This mistress is a world away from Downton’s Lady Edith’s however: Here is a self-obsessed monster of a woman who knows no love without seeing self-gain and treats her maids in the most despicable manner.

With no interval, minimal staging and only three cast members it’s a huge testament to the abilities of the three actresses to carry such a complex, intense script, and yet the pacing is such that The Maids lurches between tedious interludes and whirlwind mind-f*ck – and it’s not helped then that often you’re not sure what elements are fantasy and what’s their reality.

Pacing was the only real issue I had with The Maids. The first 10 minutes are so intense, bizarre and shocking that the gripping start cannot be sustained, until the closing minutes where all comedy stops and a dark, harrowing end provides a fitting end to such an intense, bonkers production.

At first glance, The Maids seems like it could one of the most fresh and exciting productions to hit London’s West End in years. With its striking plot, inventive staging and stellar cast, it had all the ingredients but lacked the that final flourish when it all came together. Overall The Maids remains a great production, but one that could be even better but for the tightening of a few screws.

Rating: 3/5

The Maids is at London’s Trafalgar Studio One until May 21. To book, visit atgtickets.com or call 0844 871 2118.

Words: Jon Hornbuckle

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