“The lady is dressed as a maid. The lady is uncompromising, the maid is servile. Both tease each other, the slave spanks the mistress. Suddenly, an alarm goes off and the whole scene collapses. It turns out that the lady is not a lady at all, but one of two slaves who play mistress and slave when their mistress is absent … “.

Thus begins Jean Genet’s The Maids, which, from 1947, when it was first staged in Paris, has been translated and performed countless times on theater stages around the world since 1947, thus proving the longevity of the work.

Since yesterday we had the opportunity to see this modern classic work. “Slaves”, which led the author to worldwide recognition, are presented at the Apothecia Theater under the direction of Giorgos Skevas. Cast (in alphabetical order): Amalia Kavali, Angelica Papatemeli, Alexandra Sakellaropoulou. Genet began writing the text in 1945 under the title The Tragedy of the Believers, a large play in three acts and eight actors. When in 1946 the famous French playwright Louis Jouvet asked Genet to stage a new one-act one-man show for production in his theatre, Genet adapted the already written play to his new context. The first performance was given at the Théâtre Athene on April 17, 1947, and a month later, in May 1947, the text was also published in the literary magazine L’Arbalète. In the text published in the magazine, the author made several changes, but the text of Jouvet’s performance, published in the book in 1954, is still a stereotypical text of the play.

A masterful text characterized by skillful manipulation of language through an intensely poetic form. Role reversal, relationships of power and submission, the desire to dominate others, class differences that turn out to be insurmountable, erotica and addiction create an explosive atmosphere of anxiety and expectation through the combination of dream and reality. desire and self-punishment, denial, but also acceptance of the inviolable rule of life.

Translation by Dimitris Dimitriadis. Giorgos Skevas signs, in addition to directing, scenery and costumes.

Apothecia Theatre, Sarri 40, Psirri, tel.: 210-32.53.153.

Performances: Wednesday 20.00, Thursday and Friday 21.00, Saturday 21.00, Sunday 18.00.