Mies Julie: A Review

Last night I went to the Market Theatre (for the first time) to watch a remake of the 1888 play Miss Julie.

The play has had numerous interpretations in the last Century, but I think this one will remain the most powerful. It was presented at the Endiburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 and was chosen to be amongst the best plays that year.

The South African playright and director Yael Farber, reinterpreted the story, setting it in a kitchen in a karoo farm, 18 years into the new South Africa. It deals with the relationship between a young woman, Mies Julie, (played terrifyingly well by Hilda Cronje), a young black farm hand, John (outstanding performance by Bongile Mantsai) and Christine, John's mother (achingly haunting) who brought Mies Julie up as her mother dissacociated herself from the world. And throughout the story floats the ghost of an ancestor.

It deals with ancestry, race, freedom, sexuality in a fiery intensive way. "The storm is coming. It will break soon" is repeated a few times and centers the theme of the play.

I came across The Guardian review, which encapsulates so much of what I felt watching the play.

It runs until 24 February and I recommend you go see it. It is NOT for the faint of heart. Emotions will run hard and you will feel uncomfortable at times. But the intensity of the performances will blow you away. You will ache, you will cry, you will feel emotionally confused and will struggle to take sides.

I loved it!