By Jackie Demaline
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Brian Robertson is a key force behind the Performance Gallery, and if The Maids is anything to go by, he's a force to be reckoned with.

For his directing debut at the funky old East End church (it's at 3900 Eastern Ave., you can't miss it, just watch for the purple steeple), he gives local theater audiences what we hardly ever get - a high concept that goes to the very bones of the work and holds in place till the final moment.

Jean Genet's The Maids is a dark fantasy that, as usual with the author, uses role-playing to explore themes of power and corruption. In this case, a pair of sisters are the servants to a rich, vapid and, not surprisingly, self-consumed mistress. (Sunshine Cappelletti appropriately finds an acting range from flightiness to hysteria.)

Elder sister Solange (Carrie-Ellen Zappa) and younger Claire (Regina Pugh) happily put on Madame's clothes and play out scenarios that put one or the other in control while they lavishly plot their employer's murder.

There's also a power struggle between the strange siblings that is more chillingly potent than they show on the stage. I would have loved to see more clarity and tension to Genet's endless mind games.

Even if the performances aren't completely what they could and should be, I'll give the actresses a round of applause for embracing something else that's rarely seen on a Cincinnati stage - genuine eroticism. The Maids has all the right jolts.

The real star of The Maids is Robertson. He's that rare commodity on the local stage - a director with a bold vision, a clear point of view and the ability to see it through.

He's chosen a challenging work and found a singular approach.

I won't go into details; I don't want to ruin the pleasure of discovery. I'll simply say that his frame for the action - a museum installation - provides an inspired jumping-off point.

The Maids is lavishly designed and lit by Sarah Mansfield with all the frou-frou a French lady would demand. Stephanie Cotton-Snell has coordinated a dazzling wardrobe and she couldn't ask for a better mannequin for the gorgeous costumes than Cappelletti.

There's wonderful attention to detail in every aspect of production design. Robertson and company are a model for too many small companies in town that too often throw careless design on a stage, as if lack of money is an excuse for lack of artistic integrity.

The Maids, 8 p.m. today through Saturday, Performance Gallery, 3900 Eastern Ave. Tickets $10. 333-8482.

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com