Les Bonnes

Les Bonnes (The Maids) (1947) is a play by the French dramatist Jean Genet (1910-1986). It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. A film adaptation of the play was released in 1974. Genet loosely based his play on the infamous Papin sisters, Lea and Christine, who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter in Le Mans, France, in 1933.

Performance history in South Africa

In 197* The Market Theatre did a version directed by Barney Simon with Barbara Itzler, Carolyn Sacks and Molly Seftel and with design by Richard Cook and Ingrid Jansen. (This also played at The Space (Cape Town).) In 1974 Maralin Vanrenen made her directing debut with another production at The Space , done as it was written, with an all-male cast consisting of Bill Curry, Vincent Ebrahim, and Pieter-Dirk Uys. It only played for Club audiences. Originally to be played in drag, but finally did without props or costumes. As a result of interest in the first drag version, the final Sunday saw the original production followed by an audience participated discussion about the differences between the two plays.

In July 1970 the Libertas Theatre Club presented The Maids, directed by Annelize van der Ryst, with Marianne Roux (Claire), Sharon Montgomery (Solange) and Marie van Heerden (Madame) in the Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch.

Directed by Barney Simon for PACT, 1972.

Staged at Upstairs at the Market, 1993, starring Matthew Krouse, Robert Whitehead, Robert Colman

Translations and adaptations

[**??An Afrikaans version, translated by ** as **, was done at Think Theatre (Pretoria) in 198*, directed by Danie Burger. ?**]

Translated into Afrikaans as Diensmeisies by Wim Vorster. Presented by PACOFS at the National Arts Festival in 1991 (opening 30 June) and at the André Huguenet Theatre, Bloemfontein (opening 9 July), under the direction of Vorster with an all-male cast, viz. Hendrik Baird, Christo Compion and Ernst Eloff. Decor design by Johnny Boerstoel.

In 2008 this translation was performed at KKNK and other festivals.