Chicago Tribune
- Recommended
"...those open to the intimately unconventional (and able to last the 100 intermission-less minutes) will find a great deal to admire. Both of these actresses are very accomplished and provocative. Sadler brings a cheeky, feral, fully invested quality to Claire; Laidlaw, a perpetually mysterious thespian, forges a wound-tight Solange. Both women could and should delve further (heck, it’s Genet), but they already have established an aptly mysterious, yet mutually invested, relationship."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...Granted, "The Maids" (with Brian Sidney Bembridge's marvelous set, Rachel Anne Healy's seductive costumes and Pete Dully's gothic lighting) might not be everyone's cup of camomile tea (an inside joke). Though no longer shocking, it can be repetitive and obsessive. But it also has the power to ensnare you in its richly poisonous atmosphere."
Chicago Reader
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Elizabeth Laidlaw generates some heat as Solange, but the overall atmosphere is grim—at least until Niki Lindgren shows up as the real Mistress. Interestingly, Lindgren has a background in comedy (she’s been a member of the Second City E.T.C. ensemble), and she brings a playfulness to her role that lends the show a welcome frisson. But not enough to make it French."
Chicago Free Press
- Highly Recommended
"...Jimmy McDermott directs Martin Crimp’s crisp translation with a surplus of nihilistic detail and obvious passion for the source material. His moody layering of the action is highlighted by Brian Sidney Bembridge’s exquisitely velvet set and Rachel Anne Healy’s sumptuous costumes. In fact, Bembridge’s subtle work looks as photogenically real as the majestic homes in Glencoe that one passes on the way to the theater."
EpochTimes
- Highly Recommended
"...Cleverly directed by Jimmy McDermott , all of the little pieces fit together ( or do they?) as we take this one hour and forty minute journey ( no intermission) into the minds of these young ladies and try to discover what is real and what is fantasy. The set by Brian Sidney Bembridge is very real and almost becomes the fourth character along with Rachel Anne Healy's costumes,Pete Dully's lighting and Josh Schmidt's sound. All of this adds to the marvelous performances by these three actresses."
Edge
- Recommended
"...This drama is a challenge not because of the shock value of its endlessly fascinating subject, but because it is wordy and stylized and it all happens in real time. There are no breaks from these freaks. You have to pay attention to keep up. Director McDermott keeps the action moving along nicely around his tiny set. He has his actors using an interesting mix of nuance and broadness of gesture that keeps your eyes on them. Me, I think they need to tone the volume down just a smidge to hit an enviable level of perfection."
Chicago Stage Review
- Recommended
"...Writers’ Theatre presents a tightly wound rendering of this tantalizing and tawdry tale of twisted sisters. Visually lavish and dramatically demanding, The Maids is a stylized existential exercise in idiosyncratic eccentricities. Director Jimmy McDernott meticulously choreographs every move on the tiny set, brilliantly detailed by Brian Sidney Bembridge, creating a beautiful ballet of bad."
Time Out Chicago
- Recommended
"...The secret center of the production can be found in Laidlaw’s eyes, which pivot expertly from dull obedience to the frenzy of her late, lunatic monologue. Summoning the grandeur and bleakness of Genet’s conception, her Solange keeps this relatively straightforward version from collapsing into genteel reverence. Lindgren delivers a hilariously magisterial and oblivious Mistress. And Brian Sidney Bembridge’s lush, brittle design ably reinforces Genet’s cruelly incisive world."
ChicagoCritic
- Recommended
"...My only problem with this well acted show was the diminished dramatic tension due mainly to the long, often rambling speeches. With some edits, the suspense element could move The Maids from an absurdist drama into a fine thriller. The sophisticated role-playing ritual was superbly staged and effectively acted by Laidlaw and Sadler."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Not Recommended
"...This 1947 French thriller promises us jealousy, intrigue, sexual tension and murder yet the only thing this production could be convicted of is boring its audience to death. Just where McDermott's lifelong fascination with Genet's loony toon trio came from is anyone's guess judging from the plodding and lifeless performance being given. It features an extraordinarily clever and beautiful setting by design genius Brian Sidney Bembridge, rich in dark wooden cabinetry, brocades, flowers and dainty framed sillhouettes, certainly the perfect little place for dress up and make believe. But the play is plodding rather than suspenseful, dull when it should be titillating."
