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Donmar’s 'The Maids' Recast for the Influencer Age Draws Split Early Reviews

Critics assess a phone-led reimagining that foregrounds influencer culture over Genet’s power games.

Overview

  • Kip Williams directs and adapts Jean Genet’s play at London’s Donmar Warehouse, starring Lydia Wilson, Phia Saban and Yerin Ha.
  • The 100-minute production centers live phone filming and large-scale projections as core staging, with mirrored wardrobes amplifying the imagery.
  • Reviewers praise high-precision performances and Rosanna Vize’s glossy set, noting the production’s technical control and velocity.
  • Detractors call the update glib, arguing it softens Genet’s class anger and sexual tension in favor of vanity and influencer tropes.
  • The show is booked through 29 November, with some critics warning that Williams’s screen-driven style may face diminishing returns.