Story perspectives

Kip Williams' “The Maids” uses phone filters, draws criticism.

5/27/2026

Summary

Kip Williams Revives

Kip Williams revived The Maids at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, opening through June 14, 2026.
Williams employs “cinetheatre” by projecting live smartphone video, with Lydia Wilson, Phia Saban and Yerin Ha starring.
Rosanna Vize designed a white set of mirrored walls.
Marg Horwell made costumes while Jon Clark handled lighting.
Critics argue the production relies on phone-filter visuals referencing Balenciaga and Dior instead of exploring the play’s class or erotic themes.

Summary

Genet Writes Maids

Jean-Genet wrote the 1947 drama The Maids, basing it on the 1933 murder of Christine and Léa Papin to elevate societal outcasts.
Jean-Paul Sartre praised The Maids as a ‘theater of cruelty’ that exposes the unreality of social roles.
Genet originally demanded an all-male cast but rarely enforced the rule, and his impact appears in Claude Chabrol’s 1995 film La Cérémonie.

History

Historical Context

The 1933 murder of the Lancelin family by domestic workers Christine and Léa Papin shocked France and became a symbol of class conflict, inspiring Jean Genet’s 1947 play Les Bonnes, praised by Jean-Paul Sartre, and Claude Chabrol’s 1995 film La Cérémonie. In 2026 Kip Williams revived the play at Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse, projecting actors’ smartphone footage onto a mirrored set.

1 of 3

Kip Williams Revives

Kip Williams revived The Maids at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, opening through June 14, 2026.
Williams employs “cinetheatre” by projecting live smartphone video, with Lydia Wilson, Phia Saban and Yerin Ha starring.
Rosanna Vize designed a white set of mirrored walls.
Marg Horwell made costumes while Jon Clark handled lighting.
Critics argue the production relies on phone-filter visuals referencing Balenciaga and Dior instead of exploring the play’s class or erotic themes.

1 / 3