By Diana Miranda

After two sold-out runs at the Old Red Lion Theatre earlier this year, Nadia Jackson’s Maar, Dora continues to shine a light on the legacy of experimental photographer Dora Maar. Often portrayed by contemporary media and history books as Picasso’s muse, collaborator and mistress, Dora now steps out from the painter’s shadow to address the elephant in the room: Can her story truly be told without Picasso, or would erasing the cubist titan mean further displacing herself from a discipline focused on the male gaze? 

Directed by Spiky Saul, this docu-theatre piece captivates from the outset. Faye Ziegler, as Dora Maar, wanders the stage like a phantasmagorical figure as audiences take their seats. Black-and-white photographs hang neatly across the space, canvases lean against walls, and newspaper sheets abound. The lights dim and voices recite biting headlines about Dora’s relationship with Picasso. But Dora cuts through the noise, dismantling the fourth wall to share her story as an artist in her own right: a celebrated photographer, activist, and pioneer within the surrealist movement. 

Jackson’s play evokes the 1930s male-led art world with confident strokes. A two-hander, it refuses to sidestep Picasso’s impact on Maar’s legacy, and there lies its greatest strength. While the play almost feels like a solo show – Dora’s unflinching voice taking charge – she’s self-aware enough to know that ignoring the sketch History (with a big H) has drawn of her would be a naïve erasure of a chapter that, good or bad, is undeniably part of her story. “You want to see it, don’t you?” she asks the audience, holding Picasso’s portrait of her, teasing us with a grand reveal.

Ziegler’s performance as Dora is alluring. She commands the stage with a quiet poise that hints at a deep fierceness beneath the surface. Opposite her, Jeremiah O’Connor as Picasso oozes self-indulgence and entitlement, dominating the stage with a physicality that feels both imposing and desperate. The show immerses us in Dora’s storytelling by featuring crucial art pieces, like a self-portrait she painted including another of Picasso’s lovers, literally showing Dora’s artistic journey and offering a richer understanding of her psyche. 

There is one aspect that may leave us tipping our heads in contemplation, much like one does in galleries when we are hooked but unsure. The story feels as if it’s holding back, offering a somewhat sanitised retelling of what was clearly a tumultuous relationship. Perhaps this is a deliberate choice to counter the oh-so-common stereotype of women as hysterical – a stereotype Dora herself calls out – but it leaves the narrative stopping short right when it’s gaining momentum, the duo a display of crackling chemistry. The result is a production that, while intellectually engaging, could use a bit more emotional intensity to match Maar’s desire to break free. 

In all, Maar, Dora offers a fascinating snapshot of a woman who has too often been relegated to the margins of art history. Through a compelling performance, it brings Dora Maar’s career into focus, capturing the nuances of her life story and legacy. 

Maar, Dora runs through 18 August in The Cockpit, and 25 August in The Courtyard Theatre. 

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