Miss Julie

June 11, 2024

7th June – 6th July 2024

Set in the servants’ kitchen, the audience are lulled into an expectation of safety and comfort. However, as the story unfolds, the once cozy hearth becomes a warzone, littered with the shrapnel of broken relationships and personal histories.

One Midsummer’s Eve on a Swedish estate, three victims of society attempt to break free from the iron shackles that pin down each limb. At the centre of it all is Miss Julie (Katie Eldred), a well-to-do woman with a tragic past who is battling with her feelings with her father’s valet, Jean (Freddie Wise). Miss Julie is quickly swept up in Jean’s fit of disdain for his position in society as she falls into a similar spiral of discontentment with being a woman within a rigid patriarchal structure. Meanwhile, the manor’s cook, Christine (Adeline Waby), struggles with her feelings towards Jean and her devotion to God.

“Despite only appearing intermittently throughout the duration, Waby was a stand-out performance.”

Throughout the 75 minutes, the audience watches with close attention as lives are torn apart. Playing on the historic position of relationships across the class divide seen in the likes of Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, the script is steeped in age old literary devices that are familiar to the audience, keeping them on knife’s edge.

From upper-class temptress to dishevelled casualty of the 19^th century patriarchy, the development of Miss Julie made for an interesting watch. Eldred was an excellent casting choice, playing with the subversive nature of Strindberg’s writing. From start to finish, Eldred was superb with the final few moments being particularly memorable as she reaches breaking point.

Wise’s portrayal of Jean was clever. The actor took the role in his stride and was effective in expressing Jean’s clear frustration towards his lineage. At times, however, it did feel as though the interpretation of the character lacked depth slightly with Wise often turning to fits of rage even in instances where it felt unnecessary. It was clear the actor had the range for the role, but I felt this could have been tapped into more by the director.

Despite only appearing intermittently throughout the duration, Waby was a stand-out performance. Through bared teeth and evangelical outpours, the character is almost a voice of reason amidst the chaos on stage. Waby was perfect for the role, dominating the stage whenever she appeared.

The use of simple props and sparse set design was overwhelmingly effective, especially with the intensity and complexity of the script. Coupled with the stripped-back lighting to indicate the time having passed, there is nothing to be faulted.

The staging did feel slightly stale and clumsy at times, with one moment in which Waby was left alone on stage with nothing scripted throughout this scene. As time went on, this became slightly awkward, almost as if the other characters were not meant to be off stage for that long. In saying that, Waby dealt with it incredibly well, using the whole stage and props provided to keep the audience engaged.