★★★

“a tough piece to engage with”

‘The Wanderers’, directed by Igor Golyak, maps two different marriages within the Jewish experience: one, an Orthodox and very traditional family, and another – set pretty much now – a liberal, well-educated couple from Brooklyn. Abe, (Alex Forsyth) the protagonist, binds the two units together as the son of the former. He is a prolific and successful novelist who is heavily inspired by Philip Roth (a minor warning sign). He and his wife Sophie are both writers, but she has subdued her own (less successful) career to service her husband’s very successful one whilst she cares for the children. After one of his book readings, Abe begins an ethically dubious and emotionally charged email affair with famous actor, Julia (Anna Popplewell). But all is not as it seems.

It is the visual language and metaphor of this play which elevates it. The set (Jan Pappelbaum) features a transparent screen divides the stage horizontally. It is engaged with in a multitude of creative ways, holding much symbolic weight. Throughout the piece, different characters draw props and key words onto the screen. This is very striking: for example, a square becomes a laptop dividing two characters engaged in their email correspondence. This device also cleverly externalises Abe and Sophie’s writerly minds – a useful way of expressing rich interiority. Golyak’s visual landscape here is both attractive and idiosyncratic.

It does, however, work to compensate for the for subpar dialogue and plot. Given that ‘The Wanderers’ centres around two – supposedly excellent – writers, it’s hard to cognitively marry this with the demonstrably unimaginative dialogue and action. The characters, though well-acted, are uncompelling and lack charisma, which makes the whole piece a bit of a schlep.

The acting, to reiterate, is successful. Popplewell is lovely as famous actor, Julia. So too is Katerina Tannenbaum as beleaguered Esther, who spends most of her time drowning in the misery of marital misogyny and boredom. Paksie Vernon as Abe’s maligned wife works well and with integrity. Forsyth is also very watchable, even if his character, unlike his wife, lacks any discernible integrity. Part of the issue here derives from the fact that this show focuses on a sort of male fantasy, inspired by the Philip Roth imaginary. Personally, I feel that angle has been rinsed, and in the absence of nuanced comment to develop this discourse in any way, it flounders as the premise for a show.

It’s hard to pinpoint the purpose of this play: there are gestures towards inherited fictions and the traps of imagination, but these are not adequately developed. Besides the visual spectacle, aided by some excellent lighting (Alex Musgrave), it’s a tough piece to engage with. Not tough to grapple with conceptually, but tough to discern the concepts in the first place.

A big commendation should be noted though: majority of the cast and creative team are actually Jewish – a rarity in the field of representation. We should celebrate Jewish theatre, but I don’t know what the Jewishness in this play offered, or really what ‘The Wanderers’ was trying to offer as a piece of art.

THE MAIDS

Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★

“Martin Crimp’s translation faithfully brings out the anarchic poetry of Genet’s language”

Most crime dramas (not that Jean Genet’s “The Maids” can be specifically classified as one) these days tend to start with the crime – usually a murder – and work backwards. What makes Genet’s play stand out from the crowd is the focus on the build-up rather than retrospective investigation. A slightly surreal evolution of events and dialogue that is steeped in invention, make-believe and role play. So much so that it is almost impossible to distinguish reality from fantasy throughout. Ironic, too, in that his flight of fancy is based on the real-life scandal of two sisters who brutally murdered their employer and her daughter.

Genet’s story examines two sisters, Claire and Solange, who fantasise about and act out murdering their mistress. But as soon as the house lights fade, we know we are being played with. The opening dialogue – alternately cruel, sharp and funny – between the ‘Mistress’ and Claire has us making judgements on the dynamic coupling; only to discover that we are in fact watching Claire ‘being’ the Mistress and Solange ‘being’ Claire. This playful doubling and verbal smoke-and-mirrors technique keeps us on our toes, but unfortunately prevents us from caring much for the characters. It is all quite one sided too. The maids get to vocalise their frustrations and overblown sense of oppression, while their mistress has little say of her own. It is hard to sympathise with the extreme emotions and motives on display. Particularly when Carla Harrison-Hodge’s excellent portrayal of the ‘Mistress’ brings out the humour so succinctly. She may be a privileged bully, but we can never believe she has earned her fate.

Under Annie Kershaw’s fast paced direction, the cast are all very watchable indeed as they spiral out of control, losing touch with their own realities. Anna Popplewell, as Solange, is the more unbalanced maid – one minute an ingenue, the next a ruthless martyr. Charlie Oscar gives a strength to the weaker sister that layers more dimensions onto her character than Genet probably intended. Their onstage chemistry is captivating as they pace around each other within the confines of the space. Cat Fuller’s simple but clever set design places the action within the Mistress’ boudoir, presented as a padded cell which further plays with our sense of reality. An oversized mirror lets part of the audience see themselves, while the sisters repeatedly gaze at their own reflections. Perhaps we are being told that they represent us, but if so, it is a concept that is as impossible to grasp as it is to relate to these personalities. Nevertheless, the acting is captivating enough to guide us through Genet’s often esoteric writing. Popplewell’s heightened monologue that brings us to the climax of the piece is a tour de force.

Martin Crimp’s translation faithfully brings out the anarchic poetry of Genet’s language. Yet it is hard to disguise the self-indulgence in the dialogue as it spirals inwards into ever confusing and smaller circles. The text is too successful in its aim to be ambiguous and obscure. It is saved by the trio’s performance, that transforms an extended and directionless game of role play into a dynamic piece of theatre.

THE WANDERERS

Marylebone Theatre

★★★

“a tough piece to engage with”

THE WANDERERS

Marylebone Theatre

Reviewed on 22nd October 2025

by Violet Howson

Photography by Mark Senior

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE WANDERERS

THE WANDERERS

THE WANDERERS

THE MAIDS

Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★

“Martin Crimp’s translation faithfully brings out the anarchic poetry of Genet’s language”

THE MAIDS

Jermyn Street Theatre

Reviewed on 10th January 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Steve Gregson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

The Maids

Maids

The Maids

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