Fearon Productions Brings THE MAIDS by to the Ring

January 27th through February 12th Fearon Productions will present The Maids by Jean Genet at The Players' Ring, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth NH. Showtimes are 8 pm Fridays and Saturdays and 3 pm Sundays. Tickets cost $15 with discounts for students, seniors, and Players' Ring members. To reserve, visit www.playersring.org or call 603-436-8123.

In The Maids, Solange and Claire are two housemaids who construct elaborate sadomasochistic rituals when their mistress (Madame) is away. The focus of their role-playing is the murder of Madame and they take turns portraying both sides of the power divide. Their deliberate pace and devotion to detail guarantees that they always fail to actualize their fantasies by ceremoniously "killing" Madame at the ritual's dénouement. The play is based on real life events that took place in Paris in 1933 when the Papin sisters brutally murdered their employer and her daughter.

Gary Locke directs Genet's play, with Whitney Smith in the role of Claire. Constance Witman plays Solange, her sister; and Nancy Pearson as the Madame.

The Maids had its world Premiere at the Theatre de l'Athenee in Paris in a production that opened April 17th, 1947. It was also made into a film with wonderful British Actress, Susannah Yorke as Claire, Glenda Jackson as Solange and Vivien Merchant as Madame. It was also produced by the Sydney Theatre Company at Lincoln Center in NYC in 2014, with Cate Blanchett as Claire, Isabelle Huppert as Solange and Elizabeth Debicki as the Mistress.

About the Players Ring

Since 1992, the mission of The Players' Ring has been to promote the efforts of local artists through the production of original works, while providing an affordable theatre space to local production companies. "The Ring" provides an environment where artists can thrive, grow, take risks and make daring choices.