It is midsummer night in Sweden, and in the servant quarters of his Lordship’s manor a dance is being held. In her father’s absence, Miss Julie joins the servants and dances among them, taking a special fancy to his valet Jean. They talk and drink in the kitchen as Miss Julie’s cook and Jean’s ‘intended’ Kristin bustles disapprovingly. When Kristin sleeps, the flirtatious relationship becomes sexual and Jean and Julie descend into a frighteningly intense battle for power. Miss Julie has class privilege, but Jean is a man and uninhibited by social mores – and in the background remains the ominous thought of his Lordship’s return, since he has power over them all.
The cast handles these tricky interactions and emotions with incredible skill and authenticity. Bart Vanlaere is outstandingly sinister as Jean, captivating in his transformation from sycophantic lover to jaded bully. Louise Seyffert’s Miss Julie is frivolous and flippant, with no understanding that actions have consequences. The audience’s sympathies were torn between the two as we followed their battle to rise above each other, our heads snapping back and forth as if we were at Wimbledon. Ailsa Courtney is brilliant and funny as the God-fearing Kristin, adding a much-needed voice of reason and humour amidst the midsummer confusion.
The madness of action and script can sometimes become a little blurred and rushed in this production, obscuring some plot points. For example, although it was immediately clear that Jean and Miss Julie had slept together, it was unclear why this act made the retching Miss Julie physically sick. Additionally, the production does not fully conform to Strindberg’s naturalism, but doesn’t veer away from it either; detailed props are used throughout, but the set itself is quite bare and undecorated, an unconvincing kitchen. However, Vagabond Production’s Miss Julie is a real tour de force of passion, fear and insanity, supported by an exceptional cast.
