Spanish premiere Country: Germany/Austria Language: German (with subtitles in Spanish) Approx duration: 2hrs 20mins (no interval)
One of the most prestigious companies in Europe, the Volksbühne, one of the most acclaimed directors of the moment, Luc Bondy, and one of the top literary works, The Maids by Jean Genet, come together in the convergence of talents which is Die Zofen, which premiered in Vienna in June this year.
In 1933, the Papin sisters, maids by profession, murdered their employer and his daughter. News of the killings caused convulsions across France. Jean Genet was inspired by the case to create one of the founding works of 20th century theatre. Two tormented beings. Three women who construct a relationship wavering between false submission and faked kindness. A wrong accusation, a poisoning, a suicide. The distinct, marginal language, the confusion between truth and fiction, the yawning gap between reality and desire overlap and come together in this work about the erotic and the buried forces in all our culture’s private and public relationships.