Wednesday, April 07, 2010

A twist on "The Maids"

The Curious Frog Theatre Company's production of Jean Genet's The Maids, directed by Tracy Cameron Francis, will be performed Thursday, April 22nd through Saturday May 8th at a Loft in Chelsea: 306 8th Avenue between West 25 & 26th St in Chelsea is conveniently located across the street from the C and E subway station and on the M7 bus route.  Most people are aware of this play with it's subversive maids acting out their independence to their superior "Madame".  This version is done with a twist, on location in a Chelsea loft, with a multi-enthnic cast, and with the character of Madame being played by a man, as Genet intended.


 As Jean-Paul Sartre describes in his introduction, “The most extraordinary example of the whirligigs of being and appearance, of the imaginary and the real is to be found in Genet’s The Maids…Two maids both love and hate their mistress.  They have denounced her lover to the police by means of anonymous letters.  Upon learning that he is to be released for lack of proof, they realize their betrayal will be discovered, and they try to murder Madame.  They fail and want to kill themselves.  Finally, one of them takes her life, and the other, left alone and drunk with glory, tries, by the pomp of her posturings and language, to be equal to the magnificent destiny that awaits her.” 


The Maids plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, May 8: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. | Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.  **Please note April 22 is at 8:30p** | Fridays at 7:30 p.m. | Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. | Sundays at 7:30 p.m. 

Tickets are $25 and are now available online at brownpapertickets.com or by calling (347) 410-9840. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the loft 1⁄2 hour prior to performance. 

Wednesday night is only $15 and benefits Clean The World (http://cleantheworld.org/). Audience members should register online and bring soap or shampoo for the charity to receive the ticket discount. 

Running Time: 90 minutes

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