The men playing The Maids

Claire and Solange, the sisters at the centre of Jean Genet’s The Maids, play a dangerous game whenever their mistress is absent – dressing up as Madame, taking turns to command and grovel, and rehearsing her murder.

For a play this consumed by pretence, Genet’s own instruction – rarely honoured since he wrote it in 1947 – was that men should perform all three roles, in one further act of impersonation. Most productions have cast women anyway.

This October at Theatre Next Door, the play tilts back towards its author’s wishes. Victor De Bono, Malcolm Galea and Anton Saliba lead a new production under British director Scott Le Crass, in Martin Crimp’s translation – a Malta first – produced by Adrian Buckle and De Bono himself.

De Bono plays Solange, the elder sister. “I can identify with Solange as an older sister to Claire – she is dominant, protective and loving,” he says. “She loves their dressing-up and role-switching ritual, which fills her with a desire for revenge and spite that cannot otherwise be fulfilled. Solange is a game changer.” Despite wearing two hats as both actor and co-producer, De Bono focuses entirely on performance during rehearsals. “There are so many intricacies and discoveries to be made that there is no time to discuss the production side at all,” he adds. “They are two different worlds.”

Malcolm Galea plays Madame, while Anton Saliba is Claire. For Galea, the all-male company offers a different perspective to other productions cast with women. “In a play obsessed with role-playing, having men play women who are constantly playing other people adds an extra layer to this story of people rehearsing an identity they do not possess,” he says. “It draws attention to how gender, class and authority are expressed through voice, posture, clothing and behaviour. The audience is never allowed to forget that it is watching an act of theatre inside another act of theatre.”

There is laughter, too. “There is something both frightening and absurd about people trying to stage an act of rebellion and repeatedly failing,” Galea says. “Madame can be wonderfully excessive and astonishingly unaware of the effect she has on everyone around her. But the comedy is counterbalanced with a heavy air of menace. The same game that causes amusement is also exposing humiliation, resentment and a desperate hunger for power.”

Martin Crimp’s version, first performed at London’s Young Vic in 1999, has become a modern standard. “Crimp’s translation feels poetic,” Galea says. “He has played with the very essence of the play, to the point where you’re never really sure where performance ends and reality begins.”

For Saliba, based in London, the script of The Maids was reason enough to come home. “It’s so rich, dense and complex. As an actor, it’s a joy to have such a treasure trove at your disposal,” he says. “Then there’s Scott’s vision for the piece, which adds a fresh approach.”

Le Crass, whose credits include the Offie-winning revival of Rose starring Maureen Lipman, has brought new acting tools into the rehearsal room. “The process has been organic and specific,” Saliba explains. “Scott introduced us to a perspectives technique that places the focus outside of ourselves and helps us to be more grounded and present.”

As for the audience, De Bono promises a puzzle. “We are watching characters play a theatre game, as in an escape room – one they choose, or need, to play to fulfil their own desires. We see them break out of and disrupt it, only for someone to start playing again.”

Saliba is happy to leave the verdict open. “There are so many themes within the play that audiences may relate to,” he says. “If the piece triggers a conversation or dialogue of any sort that would be hugely satisfying.”

Adrian Buckle and Victor De Bono’s production of The Maids by Jean Genet performs at Theatre Next Door, Magħtab, on 2, 3, 9 and 10 October at 8pm and on 4, 11 October at 7pm. The production is supported by Arts Council Malta, Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), LGBTI+ Gozo, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and the French Embassy in Malta. This production is suitable for audiences aged 16 and over. Tickets available at www.adrianbuckle.com.