On Friday night I was lucky enough to attend the opening night of Miss Julie at the Citizens Theatre. A few weeks ago my fiancé and I received a programme of the upcoming plays at the Citizens and my fiancé immediately picked out Miss Julie as a drama he was very keen to see. I think he was initially drawn to the fact that the role of Miss Julie was played by Louise Brealey who plays Molly in the BBC1 drama Sherlock.
Miss Julie, written by August Strindberg in 1888, is a play about the daughter of a wealthy mill owner and her interactions with her father’s servant (Jean) and the servant’s fiancée (Christine).
While Miss Julie’s father is away, the workers at his mill are on strike. Miss Julie has decided to go to a dance that has been organised by the striking workers. Jean, described as the mill owner’s favourite servant, has recently got engaged to the overworked cook, Christine. While Jean recounts the events of his evening to Christine it is impossible not to notice the number of times that Miss Julie’s name crops into the conversation.
The chemistry between Jean and Miss Julie is evident from the moment she appears unannounced in the servants’ quarters requesting Jean accompany her back to the party for a dance. An exhausted Christine cannot compete with the energy of Miss Julie, and soon falls asleep. Meanwhile, Jean and Miss Julie continue to drink and chat back in the servants’ quarters after the workers at the party turn on their boss’s daughter. There is a strange sense of unease as the balance of power shifts between the two characters. First Jean has the upper hand with his tales of Miss Julie’s unpopularity amongst the staff. Then Miss Julie has the power, putting Jean back in his place, reminding him of his status in the world.
After things between Jean and Miss Julie go a bit further, we see them struggle to plan what to do next: stay and face the music or hightail it out of there. Without spoiling the ending for anyone who has not seen the play, things come to a very shocking and dramatic end.
Yet again it was great to spend a night at the Citizens Theatre and to see another packed house.
Miss Julie is currently playing at The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. For more info please visit here http://citz.co.uk/whatson/info/miss_julie/
