Camden Fringe
A thought-provoking exploration of Dora Maar's life, though it struggles to escape Picasso's shadow entirely.summary
Rating
Good
When one thinks of surrealism, names like Salvador Dalí and René Magritte often spring to mind, their melting clocks and bowler-hatted men etched into our collective consciousness. Yet the movement, born in the 1920s as a rebellion against rationalism, owes much to lesser-known figures who pushed the boundaries of perception just as boldly. Among these unsung heroes stands Dora Maar, a pioneering photographer whose avant-garde work helped shape surrealism’s visual language. In MAAR, DORA at The Cockpit, playwright Nadia Jackson attempts to pull this remarkable artist out from the long shadow cast by her infamous lover, Pablo Picasso, and into the spotlight she has long deserved.
The play takes the form of an intimate dialogue between Maar and the audience, breaking the fourth wall to create a sense of immediacy. This format allows for a deep dive into Maar’s multifaceted life, exploring her artistic career and the personal struggles that shaped her. The audience is invited into Maar’s confidence as she recounts her relationship with Picasso, unflinchingly addressing the abuse that history has often romanticised.
Faye Ziegler, as Maar, brings warmth and vulnerability to the artist, and through Marr’s reflections we see how the media of her time reduced her to a footnote in Picasso’s story, ignoring her own substantial contributions to art. The play showcases Maar’s fight for recognition beyond limiting labels and delves into her often-overlooked life after Picasso. This exploration challenges the audience to reconsider not just Maar’s story, but also how we frame the lives of women artists throughout history.
However, the production falls into a trap of its own making. While it succeeds in exploring the complexities of Maar and Picasso’s relationship, it does so at the expense of fully showcasing Maar’s own artistic achievements and life outside of Picasso’s influence. The irony is not lost that in attempting to separate Maar from Picasso, the play ends up centring him once again. This dynamic is exacerbated by a magnetic performance from Jeremiah O’Connor, as Picasso. His portrayal steals the spotlight and inadvertently reinforces the very dynamic the play seeks to challenge, which leaves the audience wanting to know more about Maar’s individual journey and artistic contributions.
Direction, by Spiky Saul, keeps the pace engaging and makes good use of the intimate space. However, more could have been done visually to represent Maar’s photographic work, which feels underexplored given her significant contributions to surrealism.
Despite these shortcomings, MAAR, DORA offers a valuable perspective on the struggles of women artists to define themselves beyond their relationships with famous men. It raises important questions about legacy, art, and the narratives we choose to remember.
While the play doesn’t fully achieve its goal of liberating Dora Maar from Picasso’s shadow, it does succeed in sparking a necessary conversation about how we view and value artists – particularly women – in their own right.
Written by: Nadia Jackson
Directed by: Spiky Saul
Produced by: Amar Singh
MAAR, DORA plays at The Cockpit on the 4th and 18th August but also at The Courtyard Theatre on the 11th and 25th August. Further information and booking are available here.
