Miss Julie – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Writer: August Strindberg

Adaptor: Amy Ng

Director: Dadiow Lin

It’s Hong Kong, shortly after the war. The island is trying to get back to some semblance of normality after a period of Japanese occupation. But now things have changed. The island is suffering one of the regular waves of bubonic plague, the British are reasserting themselves as colonial masters and unrest is beginning to grow among some of the indigenous population who have traditionally served their colonial masters. And so we meet Miss Julie (Sophie Robinson), who spent some of the war interned by the Japanese and daughter of the island’s British Governor, together with two of her father’s servants, John (Leo Wan), the chauffeur who can certainly talk the talk about longing for a new life, and Christine (Jennifer Leong), who helped raise Julie after her missionary mother’s death.

We join John and Christine as they prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year and it’s clear that they are close as they dream of what their future might hold. They gossip about Julie’s actions, dancing in the streets after she called off her planned marriage. Julie gatecrashes the intimate party, and there’s an obvious sexual tension between her and John. There’s a subtle dance around the attraction that both John and Julie feel, a dance that starts off lightheartedly, but that becomes ever more intense. Can any of the trio truly escape, can they follow their dreams? Or are they doomed to remain locked in their class-based roles forever?

Strindberg’s play was originally performed in the late 19th Century and found itself controversial because of its sexually charged content. Amy Ng’s adaptation is pretty faithful to the storyline, although it also manages to look at the impact of colonialism and disease on the island shortly before it became one of the Asian Tiger economies – in keeping with Strindberg’s description of Naturalism that suggests that issues should be meaningful and significant. It’s credit to Ng’s tight writing, supported by thoughtful direction by Dadiow Lin, that it manages to do this despite a relatively short length – although it’s still the case that the middle section has a slightly lumpen feeling to it. Adam Wiltshire’s straightforward set supported by Max Perryment’s sound design firmly sets the scene; they work together to transport us to the festivities in Hong Kong.

Julie is not an easy character to love. Robinson shows us her manipulative and headstrong nature as she toys with John, drawing out his feelings for her. But there’s also a vulnerability, even fragility, in her portrayal as one gradually realises she is as much a prisoner of her origins as the servants are. John is a complex character and Wan brings out those complexities well, as his emotions and drives vary under Julie’s hand. Christine is the most sympathetic character: Leong demonstrates her natural good heart and caring nature, even as she is disappointed in John and his behaviour with Julie.

Ng’s relocation of the story to 1940’s Hong Kong brings out another dimension to this classic play and is successful overall. It’s not always easy to watch, but it does help us to reflect on the human condition and the actions of our colonial ancestors.

Runs until 10 July 2021