Review: MISS JULIE, Storyhouse & New Earth Theatre (Online)

Photo credit: Mark McNulty

Though this Storyhouse production of Miss Julie (directed by Dadiow Lin) is short in length, it certainly does pack a punch for its audience and deals with some very complex social and political themes. Adapted from an original story by August Strindberg, this play does an incredible job at displaying the natural need for survival within a racial divide.

Amy Ng has adapted the original story brilliantly in order to fit these themes of race and identity, which remain potent and strong throughout the entire performance. Every character in this performance is fighting for survival in this racially divided world and dreams of a world that is just out of reach.

Julie (played by the talented Sophie Robinson) dreams of being with the man she loves, despite their racial and social differences. But when they come together, they are forced to flee and their story ends tragically. 

Christine (played by the beautiful Jennifer Leong) longs for social stability and marriage, which becomes blurred and lost when she learns of the physical relationship between Julie and John, whom she is engaged to. 

John dreams of everything. He wants to own his own hotel and be rich and successful. He yearns for the physical relationship with Julie, however he desires the marital and emotional relationship with Christine. He soon learns that in the world that he lives in, he cannot have everything so ends up remaining exactly where he is at the beginning of the play - working for the household he claims to despise. 

The themes of race and identity are key to this performance and it is so interesting to see the decline of the characters because of their racially divided world. At the end of the day, these characters are people. They are normal, living and breathing human beings and all they ask is that they are treated as such. 

But not only this, the underlying mentions of ‘the outbreak in the slums’ is very hard hitting and significant in the COVID-19 world that we currently live in, particularly when you consider the (racist) stereotypes given to the outbreak. 

This Storyhouse production of Miss Julie is a pleasure to watch. A sincerely eye-opening and a beautifully told story. 

***’ Three and a half stars

Reviewed by: Megan Webb