Set in a brothel during a bloody revolution, The Balcony is Genet’s examination of the artifice of authority. Madame Irma’s brothel specializes in providing fetish scenarios for clients who seek the erotic pleasures of playing government icons without having to bear the burden of their functions. Unexpected consequences arise when the revolution disrupts the sanctity of the brothel’s fantasies, and the real figures of the government go missing. Irma and the Chief of Police must work together to devise a grand scenario that will preserve the status quo while immortalizing them both forever.