In theater history annals in the 19th century Western World, Swedish August Strindberg’s Miss Julie was considered an innovative naturalistic play, though structured as a realistic one for audiences to follow drama done in a room with no front wall. In FSU/Asolo Conservatory’s two-tier set that could be in Ireland, following Frank McGuinness’s script, it’s a graphic experience. Audiences get to see class and gender distinctions embodied and intertwined as well as an explicit sexual tryst. Considering local audience preferences, it’s lucky that all is in as good as possible taste.
Director Karina Aviva Benjamin keeps everything flowing at the right pace. She and tech directors work together unobtrusively to get a unified overall type of performance.
It’s important that the time is Midsummer Night’s Eve—one of music and dancing too, at which Julie can be glimpsed in a place probably like a balcony of her central estate home. Later she asks her valet Jean to dance. It’s an important physical encounter.
Aristocratic Julie is often considered a tragic heroine. She’s neurotic due to her upbringing, especially how her mother treated her and seemingly ruined her family. (Elle Miller’s attractive, outspoken Julie has inherited a belief in romanticism that is undermined by literary and dramatic naturalism.) In this new version of her story, her father the Count doesn’t count.
Julie’s a victim of her suppressed sexual development and natural impulses. Also she wasn’t determiner of her own sexual action upon her valet Jean but then suffers at his behavior toward her. He can easily act without honor, but as an aristocrat, she can’t.
Jean is at the center of all the action in the play. John Leggett handles flawlessly the Strindberg and McGuinness variations on Jean’s character. His ambition to be better situated in every respect—as husband of a sexy aristocrat with money and co-owner of a fine European hotel—condition his every act and viewpoint.
Jean has already made himself as much like a gentleman as he’s been able. He loves beauty. He is not fond of people of his class and considers most below him. Leggett’s major achievement is showing Jean suppressing his vulnerability due to habit and strong desires. His failures are not tragic like Julie’s.
Kristin, the cook, knows or senses more about Jean than he’d like her to. In this version of the play, she’s neither lazy nor a really religious person. She actually goes to church for nefarious purposes and but is okay with what seems to be her Catholic parish church.
Catherine Luciani believably makes Kristin an “ordinary person” in an otherwise not ordinary household.
Miss Julie is notable as a full play with only one act, insisted on at a time when plays had typically from three to five acts. Strindberg started this, as he did the simple set without furnishings not used in the performance and without a background that distracts or clutters.There are no doors, but entrances and exits can be clearly made.
The Conservatory Technical crews have made the most of things necessary. The most notable is a huge downstage central table that turns into a bed. Kristin’s kitchen is seen only in the part used. Bottles of beer and wine seem quite realistic, as does the liquid in them when in glasses from which it is drunk.
Lighting design produces weather, time, and mood and inside illumination and darkness. Costumes fit the status of each character socially as well as temperature-and-weather-wise.
Miss Julie is on a repertory double schedule, so that Conservatory students will have practice “coming back” to an earlier play from acting in a later one during their time onstage with the Asolo Repertory Theater. That’s in a third year program ending with getting the MFA. For this reason, both Kristin and Miss Julie characters will be assumed by Alternate Student Actors during the long schedule of performances and of still another double repertory play early this year.
