Park Theatre
Playing until: 06 July 2024
Photo credit: Mark Senior
Review {AD-PR Gifted}
Dancing the night away, the Count’s daughter, Miss Julie (Katie Eldred), pulls in the staffs of her household while her father is away. Before long, she enters a back-and-forth flirtatious engagement with her father’s valet, Jean (Freddie Wise). Portraying the shift in power between man and woman, master and servant, this revival of August Strindberg’s work, translated by Michael Meyer, attempts to capture the chemistry between two characters and their subsequent descent into a struggle for survival.
Capitalising on her position, Miss Julie invites Jean to join her for more dancing after a night of festivities. Given the power dynamic, Jean was unable to say no and encouraged by his own fiancé to comply with Miss Julie’s demands. Although he resisted Miss Julie initially, he is beguiled by her barrage of advances and tempted by the lady that he so desired since childhood. Following a night of temptation and passion, the dynamic shifts as Miss Julie falls in love with Jean and as he realises the power that he holds over her. The two actors engage in a flurry of push and pull as the power dynamic begin to shift throughout the play, often taking a 180 turn at the drop of the hat. Given how fast paced this version of Miss Julie is, it leaves little room for the audience to catch their breath before they are flipped from love to hatred and back again without any middle ground.
While the artistic decision to portray much of the engagement between Miss Julie and Jean through shouting highlights the characters’ anger and discontent with each other as they shift away from the more passionately loving moments, it is often the more subtle elements that add depth to the characters. For a small venue like Park90, where the audience is seated right next to the stage and able to observe the intricate facial expression of the actors, such high volume of communication does not feel warranted. Of note, the most heartfelt moment is conveyed by Wise through a relatively quiet delivery combined with visible streams of tears flowing down his cheek as he commands Miss Julie to her death. This further highlights that the more exaggerated elements are not entirely needed.
Christine (Adeline Waby), the household’s cook and Jean’s fiancé, has a more believable intimacy with Jean. She is fully embedded and wholeheartedly believes in the class system. Waby’s characterisation of Christine is intricate and subtle, grounding the story against the two more exaggerated and expressive characters. Although a minor role, Christine adds the much-needed intermission, and to a degree, a breath of fresh air, among Jean and Julie’s constant flirting and bickering.
Taking place entirely in the manor’s kitchen, Kit Hinchcliffe’s set is practical, allows sufficient flexibility and the characters’ movements and directions were well thought out to best utilise the space. Although it seemed as though Christine takes a long time to clean the kitchen, this adds nuance to the mundanity of servants’ lives, emphasising the excitement Miss Julie introduces as she enters the stage.
This version of Miss Julie attempts to portray the power dynamic between the different sex and class. However, beyond the occasional scenes, the chemistry, passion and the hatred between Miss Julie and Jean fall short of gripping, and more moments of pause to allow the audience to reflect on Jean and Julie’s exchanges may enhance the intimacy of the play.
Creatives
Writer: August Strindberg
Translator: Michael Meyer
Director: Max Harrison
Set and Costume Design: Kit Hinchcliffe
Producer: Zoe Weldon
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