Miss Julie

This new translation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie comes courtesy of sibling team James and Ben Kenward (the latter also translated; the former also acts).

An exacting examination of masters, servants and the power relations between them, it possesses a mix of sexual tension and class consciousness bringing to mind Jean Genet’s The Maids.

The action opens in the servants’ quarters of an English mansion. It is New Year’s Eve and the mistress of the manor, the seductive Lady Julia, is partying with her footmen downstairs, dancing and flirting with them – and with one in particular: John (James Kenward), a handsome, humble man.

Julia is confident and rich – and, it seems, more powerful than John. But appearances are deceptive.

If you look closely, you can find both poetry and dark humour in parts of this play. The acting is tight and there’s a simple yet impressive dance sequence.

But ultimately neither Julia nor John inspire sympathy, and the ideas behind the play, radical in Strindberg’s time, have become less interesting through their use in various ways by other writers.

Lady Julia runs until 19 December at the Hen and Chicken’s Theatre, Highbury Corner.