Mies Julie is still the best show in town

Bongile Mantsai and Hilda Cronje duke it out in Mies Julie

Mies Julie is the show to see this weekend.

In some ways, the evening bears the burden of Strindberg’s original. At the beginning, you want to scream, “Let’s make this an early night! Just don’t fuck the crazy lady!” But that happens anyway, of course and, in many ways, Yaël Farber’s new version of the story is a huge improvement over what Strindberg had in mind.

Farber roots the story in land rights, for one thing, bringing depth of meaning to her South African setting—and, incidentally, to the show’s presentation here in Canada.

And there’s no denying the dept of skill and integrity in this production. All of the actors are terrific, especially Bongile Mantsai. And the music is a dream—sometimes a disturbing one.