Knockin' on heaven's door
In L-Imfietah, Talenti's upcoming production, a problem suddenly crops up. The keys to Heaven's gates go missing. Are they lost or stolen? André Delicata meets the man behind the scenes
Veteran stage actor Mario Micallef is currently busy rehearsing for the latest production being put up by Talenti, his theatrical company. L-Imfietah (The Keys) is a comedy in Maltese based on a crucial piece of biblical evidence which has fascinated popular consciousness for centuries and its potential to be interpreted in many different ways has long been recognised. The keys to Heaven's gates go missing and St Peter is frantic!
Are they lost or stolen? To make matters worse, three infamous souls seem to have infiltrated paradise and no one will enjoy eternal rest until we get to the bottom of this mystery.
The play is the fourth in a series of one-man shows headlined by Mr Micallef since 1999. The first show, L-Imgarrab was the actor's first foray into the genre in the Maltese language. Previously, such shows in our native tongue had rarely been presented to the public. Written by Zep Camilleri, it fulfilled Talenti's aim to promote Maltese authors and actors and played to a full house for one weekend at the Manoel Theatre. Such a success led to a repeat of the same show the following season and convinced Talenti theatre company that the one-man show was a genre that was worth exploring further. It was followed by Il-Politiku Korrott? (2005) and Il-Qassis (2006), scripted by Mr Camilleri and Mr Micallef respectively.
L-Imfietah is the first comic one-man show which Talenti is putting up - the previous ones were all serious portrayals of man's darker side. Mr Camilleri came up with the idea when Mr Micallef suggested they try a comedy after L-Imgarrab, but although Mr Camilleri had started creating a plot structure and jotting down ideas, the plan was shelved for several years. It was only recently that Mr Micallef decided that the time was ripe for another attempt at comedy and chose to take up the task himself. By expanding Mr Camilleri's notes and adding his own ideas to the amalgam, Mr Micallef has managed to weave a sequence of comic scenes into an engaging and light-hearted story.
Mr Micallef admits that it can be very difficult to build up on other people's work and readily acknowledges the help and encouragement which he got from his son, Gordon and from Mr Camilleri, who is also directing the show.
So what does it entail to prepare and star in a project like a one-man show? The public certainly seem to enjoy them, but what intrigues me the most is what goes on behind the scenes. I asked Mr Micallef to unlock the secrets behind such a production. Obviously, the hard work and level of commitment required are very high. Mr Micallef will be playing six characters, some of which he created himself and although this helps him focus more on his interpretation, he is still quite anxious about getting his dialogue right - a small slip-up might lead him to mix up the lines of different characters together. This led me to wonder what it is like for a single person to play various roles in quick succession, changing characterisation - from attitude, to tone of voice and point of view.
"Of course", Mr Micallef tells me, "there is a huge difference between the approach taken by a single actor interpreting all those parts and the approach of individual actors portraying one character each. Make-up, costumes and setting do help but only up to a certain point..."
One man can change characterisation and fit into different roles, but his emotions are always his own and consequently colour the characters in a shade which is distinctly his own. The audience's awareness of this must be balanced by their willingness to suspend their disbelief. The fact that the show will be playing at St James Cavalier, where the theatre is in the round, means that he will be in close contact with the audience and this will of course affect his performance. In fact he tells me that the first time he was going to play to an audience there in 2005, his friend, actress Ninette Micallef suggested he ask some friends and family members to sit in the front seats during the dress rehearsal so that he could get a good feel of the audience's reactions in such close proximity.
The actor's efforts to concentrate on his interpretation undoubtedly demand incredible stamina. Indeed Mr Micallef confides that three months before his first show way back in 1999, he had to undergo heart surgery and was consequently very concerned about his upcoming production, especially since his surgeon, Alex Manché, told him to tone it down and take things easy. It was only thanks to his great love for the theatre, which he considers to be his second home, that Mr Micallef mustered the driving force necessary for him to keep going and complete the project to his usual high standard. His team is also indispensable. "Absolutely nothing can be done without them!" he emphasises, which proves that a one-man show simply cannot be set up without the support of a dedicated backstage team.
There are challenges to everything - time limits are particularly tricky and in order to maximise stage time, Mr Micallef often resorts to incorporating quick changes into the show itself. Last year he walked casually into the auditorium seven minutes to curtain up and turned a few heads by getting up on stage, having his make-up applied and getting dressed while people were still settling in - in this way he involved the audience immediately.
This year, however, he plans to do things differently to keep things from getting stale. Anthony West and May Vassallo will be providing the costumes while make-up artist Anton Farrugia will have the complex task of changing Mr Micallef's appearance for the multiple personalities he'll be playing. The order of character appearances is partly dictated by those whose make-up is the most complex to create.
Continuity is essential and this, coupled with Mr Micallef's desire to provide a well-rounded spectacle, has led him to include three actor-dancers who will be satisfying the public's need for entertainment and music. Sarah Camilleri, Miriam Greenaway and Elishia Carabott play three young Maltese girls who resume their earthly squabbles on the spiritual plane after losing their lives in a tragic traffic accident. Two have won their right to cross the pearly gates, while the third was doomed to take an express lift downstairs. The questions start mounting - how are they embroiled in the mystery of the missing keys? What do they know about the illicit smuggling of souls from hell to heaven?
• This hilarious comedy has been rated 16 and will be staged on March 9-11 and 17-19 at St James Cavalier at 8 p.m. Tickets may be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2122 3216.
Are they lost or stolen? To make matters worse, three infamous souls seem to have infiltrated paradise and no one will enjoy eternal rest until we get to the bottom of this mystery.
The play is the fourth in a series of one-man shows headlined by Mr Micallef since 1999. The first show, L-Imgarrab was the actor's first foray into the genre in the Maltese language. Previously, such shows in our native tongue had rarely been presented to the public. Written by Zep Camilleri, it fulfilled Talenti's aim to promote Maltese authors and actors and played to a full house for one weekend at the Manoel Theatre. Such a success led to a repeat of the same show the following season and convinced Talenti theatre company that the one-man show was a genre that was worth exploring further. It was followed by Il-Politiku Korrott? (2005) and Il-Qassis (2006), scripted by Mr Camilleri and Mr Micallef respectively.
L-Imfietah is the first comic one-man show which Talenti is putting up - the previous ones were all serious portrayals of man's darker side. Mr Camilleri came up with the idea when Mr Micallef suggested they try a comedy after L-Imgarrab, but although Mr Camilleri had started creating a plot structure and jotting down ideas, the plan was shelved for several years. It was only recently that Mr Micallef decided that the time was ripe for another attempt at comedy and chose to take up the task himself. By expanding Mr Camilleri's notes and adding his own ideas to the amalgam, Mr Micallef has managed to weave a sequence of comic scenes into an engaging and light-hearted story.
Mr Micallef admits that it can be very difficult to build up on other people's work and readily acknowledges the help and encouragement which he got from his son, Gordon and from Mr Camilleri, who is also directing the show.
So what does it entail to prepare and star in a project like a one-man show? The public certainly seem to enjoy them, but what intrigues me the most is what goes on behind the scenes. I asked Mr Micallef to unlock the secrets behind such a production. Obviously, the hard work and level of commitment required are very high. Mr Micallef will be playing six characters, some of which he created himself and although this helps him focus more on his interpretation, he is still quite anxious about getting his dialogue right - a small slip-up might lead him to mix up the lines of different characters together. This led me to wonder what it is like for a single person to play various roles in quick succession, changing characterisation - from attitude, to tone of voice and point of view.
"Of course", Mr Micallef tells me, "there is a huge difference between the approach taken by a single actor interpreting all those parts and the approach of individual actors portraying one character each. Make-up, costumes and setting do help but only up to a certain point..."
One man can change characterisation and fit into different roles, but his emotions are always his own and consequently colour the characters in a shade which is distinctly his own. The audience's awareness of this must be balanced by their willingness to suspend their disbelief. The fact that the show will be playing at St James Cavalier, where the theatre is in the round, means that he will be in close contact with the audience and this will of course affect his performance. In fact he tells me that the first time he was going to play to an audience there in 2005, his friend, actress Ninette Micallef suggested he ask some friends and family members to sit in the front seats during the dress rehearsal so that he could get a good feel of the audience's reactions in such close proximity.
The actor's efforts to concentrate on his interpretation undoubtedly demand incredible stamina. Indeed Mr Micallef confides that three months before his first show way back in 1999, he had to undergo heart surgery and was consequently very concerned about his upcoming production, especially since his surgeon, Alex Manché, told him to tone it down and take things easy. It was only thanks to his great love for the theatre, which he considers to be his second home, that Mr Micallef mustered the driving force necessary for him to keep going and complete the project to his usual high standard. His team is also indispensable. "Absolutely nothing can be done without them!" he emphasises, which proves that a one-man show simply cannot be set up without the support of a dedicated backstage team.
There are challenges to everything - time limits are particularly tricky and in order to maximise stage time, Mr Micallef often resorts to incorporating quick changes into the show itself. Last year he walked casually into the auditorium seven minutes to curtain up and turned a few heads by getting up on stage, having his make-up applied and getting dressed while people were still settling in - in this way he involved the audience immediately.
This year, however, he plans to do things differently to keep things from getting stale. Anthony West and May Vassallo will be providing the costumes while make-up artist Anton Farrugia will have the complex task of changing Mr Micallef's appearance for the multiple personalities he'll be playing. The order of character appearances is partly dictated by those whose make-up is the most complex to create.
Continuity is essential and this, coupled with Mr Micallef's desire to provide a well-rounded spectacle, has led him to include three actor-dancers who will be satisfying the public's need for entertainment and music. Sarah Camilleri, Miriam Greenaway and Elishia Carabott play three young Maltese girls who resume their earthly squabbles on the spiritual plane after losing their lives in a tragic traffic accident. Two have won their right to cross the pearly gates, while the third was doomed to take an express lift downstairs. The questions start mounting - how are they embroiled in the mystery of the missing keys? What do they know about the illicit smuggling of souls from hell to heaven?
• This hilarious comedy has been rated 16 and will be staged on March 9-11 and 17-19 at St James Cavalier at 8 p.m. Tickets may be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2122 3216.