Imagine a scenario which plays itself out and then repeats itself with subtle changes which affect the dynamics and overall outcome of the situation. Yasmina Reza's Life X 3 is a play entirely based on the concept of the infinite gyrations of life. Reza has created a post-modern parlour comedy concerned with presenting its audience with a slice of life and exposing how often trivial, everyday occurrences can leave small ripples of repercussion on the bigger picture. The focus on how relationships are affected by our idiosyncrasies is a trademark of Reza's and can be seen in one of her earlier and possibly most well-known plays - Art.
I first saw Art in London in 1999 when I decided to go and watch a West End show which seemed to be prominently advertised in every single tube station I used. I didn't regret it at all; in fact Art became the highlight of my theatre trip that season; no less because Frank Skinner played one of the funniest and perhaps most complex characters, Ivan. A couple of years later Theatreworx put it up at the Manoel Theatre and I was there - looking forward to enjoying Reza's crisp humour again and interested to see how our local production would compare to the London show. I'm happy to say I was impressed. The quality was exceptional and the delivery of the piece lost none of its original effervescence. When I heard that Life X 3 was in the offing, I was, as can be imagined, very interested by the prospect of seeing another of Reza's works performed locally.
This play is divided into three acts each of which keeps the same basic plot points, while replaying the same situation over again. But physical, temporal and spatial similarities are the only elements which the acts have in common.
Husband and wife Henri and Sonia have just managed to tuck their recalcitrant son Arnaud into bed but are still trying to appease him, when the doorbell suddenly rings. It turns out to be Hubert and Inès Finidori, who turn up a day early for a dinner engagement. Henri and Sonia are faced with the awkward task of entertaining their guests with the added problems of an unsettled child and a highly depleted larder.
Hubert is Henri's colleague and they are both astrophysicists. Hubert tells Henri that the paper he's been working on for the past three years is very similar in content to one which has just been published and tries to make him feel as much of a failure as he possibly can. It is evident from each of the couples' private conversations that there seems to be an over-arching feeling of mutual dislike between each character and even between spouses. A sense of ennui has the female characters launching often caustic remarks at their husbands' indifference and jibes of disapproval at each other, while the men circle each other with an antagonism thinly veneered with politeness, meant to establish the pecking order in the workplace.
It is in fact a comedy of manners based entirely on the interaction between the characters so that it is not the plot that matters as much as what the characters do with it. In the words of Coryse Borg, who will be playing the character of Sonia, the play is truly a challenge for the actors because the characters they play "go through subtle but very important changes from one scene to another".
"For example, in the first scene, Sonia is a bit of a shrew who doesn't treat her husband or her child very well! In the second scene, she is much softer and in the third, she's a bit of a man-eater. Changing from one character to the other practically in front of the audience's eyes is very tough." Because the personality traits are different in each of the three scenarios, the characters do not run the risk of being boring.
"Their attitude and mood changes depending on different reactions from the other characters," says Anthony Ellul, who plays Hubert. "So although the audience will be seeing the same situation three times over, the rhythms, attitudes and interactions between the characters change, making each one very different from the others. Hubert is a pompous, self-centred man who tries to make Henri feel uncomfortable to demonstrate his hold over him. During the three scenes Henri's approach to Hubert's comments changes and so do Hubert's reactions. In the first scenario Hubert aggressively brings Henri into a depressive state, in the second scenario Henri faces Hubert so that his reaction is less aggressive and more subtle while in the final scenario, Hubert is faced by a confident Henri and therefore his attitude requires more of an edge."
In fact Henri, played by Alex Grech, "seems to be in a permanent state of flux; he is worried, paranoid, pathetic, aggressive, superior, sly and even apathetic," says the actor. According to Vanessa Macdonald, who plays Inès, "the concept of the play is so brilliant because each time is so different. The way you say something predetermines what kind of response you get, so if you are aggressive, you get aggression back; if you whine, then those around you get impatient. The play is so clever because it takes the same situation and shows how different each outcome can be."
It is a play whose vehicles are those events which usually slip us by and therefore it takes the commonplace and makes it evident while underlining its validity. As astrophysicists, both Henri and Hubert have been studying "unity theory", a theory which connects the fundamental forces of the universe and explains their interactions, and the playwright illustrates this visually through the action on stage. These little things are precisely those forces which push and pull our lives apart - they are the lynchpins of human sentiment. And it is ironic that while the theory of unity is being discussed by the characters, they themselves are far from being unified.
The child amplifies the sense of disunity by highlighting the opposing polarity of the characters in the various ways they deal with him. He is never seen but very much heard throughout the play and contrives in bringing together all the minute details which drive the action from chocolate fingers to shrill, petulant interruptions. All four actors agree that the good rapport between the cast members is crucial to the performance. In the words of Alex Grech: "You need each other to lift the piece up. It's a tough piece to do - but it's very rewarding. The play is like an elastic band between four characters. When someone says something, it's as if the elastic is twanged: there are repercussions on others." Mr Grech believes that people who enjoyed Art will find many of Reza's signature structures in Life X 3.
I agree with Mr Grech that Life X 3 "will be a conversation piece after the performance is over". It provides a stage where basic human tension meets humour in a battle of wits which reminds all of us of the one time when we said to ourselves with hindsight "I wonder what would have happened if I'd behaved differently."
• Life X 3 is being staged by MADC at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bookings may be made by phone on 2124 6389 or online at bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt
I first saw Art in London in 1999 when I decided to go and watch a West End show which seemed to be prominently advertised in every single tube station I used. I didn't regret it at all; in fact Art became the highlight of my theatre trip that season; no less because Frank Skinner played one of the funniest and perhaps most complex characters, Ivan. A couple of years later Theatreworx put it up at the Manoel Theatre and I was there - looking forward to enjoying Reza's crisp humour again and interested to see how our local production would compare to the London show. I'm happy to say I was impressed. The quality was exceptional and the delivery of the piece lost none of its original effervescence. When I heard that Life X 3 was in the offing, I was, as can be imagined, very interested by the prospect of seeing another of Reza's works performed locally.
This play is divided into three acts each of which keeps the same basic plot points, while replaying the same situation over again. But physical, temporal and spatial similarities are the only elements which the acts have in common.
Husband and wife Henri and Sonia have just managed to tuck their recalcitrant son Arnaud into bed but are still trying to appease him, when the doorbell suddenly rings. It turns out to be Hubert and Inès Finidori, who turn up a day early for a dinner engagement. Henri and Sonia are faced with the awkward task of entertaining their guests with the added problems of an unsettled child and a highly depleted larder.
Hubert is Henri's colleague and they are both astrophysicists. Hubert tells Henri that the paper he's been working on for the past three years is very similar in content to one which has just been published and tries to make him feel as much of a failure as he possibly can. It is evident from each of the couples' private conversations that there seems to be an over-arching feeling of mutual dislike between each character and even between spouses. A sense of ennui has the female characters launching often caustic remarks at their husbands' indifference and jibes of disapproval at each other, while the men circle each other with an antagonism thinly veneered with politeness, meant to establish the pecking order in the workplace.
It is in fact a comedy of manners based entirely on the interaction between the characters so that it is not the plot that matters as much as what the characters do with it. In the words of Coryse Borg, who will be playing the character of Sonia, the play is truly a challenge for the actors because the characters they play "go through subtle but very important changes from one scene to another".
"For example, in the first scene, Sonia is a bit of a shrew who doesn't treat her husband or her child very well! In the second scene, she is much softer and in the third, she's a bit of a man-eater. Changing from one character to the other practically in front of the audience's eyes is very tough." Because the personality traits are different in each of the three scenarios, the characters do not run the risk of being boring.
"Their attitude and mood changes depending on different reactions from the other characters," says Anthony Ellul, who plays Hubert. "So although the audience will be seeing the same situation three times over, the rhythms, attitudes and interactions between the characters change, making each one very different from the others. Hubert is a pompous, self-centred man who tries to make Henri feel uncomfortable to demonstrate his hold over him. During the three scenes Henri's approach to Hubert's comments changes and so do Hubert's reactions. In the first scenario Hubert aggressively brings Henri into a depressive state, in the second scenario Henri faces Hubert so that his reaction is less aggressive and more subtle while in the final scenario, Hubert is faced by a confident Henri and therefore his attitude requires more of an edge."
In fact Henri, played by Alex Grech, "seems to be in a permanent state of flux; he is worried, paranoid, pathetic, aggressive, superior, sly and even apathetic," says the actor. According to Vanessa Macdonald, who plays Inès, "the concept of the play is so brilliant because each time is so different. The way you say something predetermines what kind of response you get, so if you are aggressive, you get aggression back; if you whine, then those around you get impatient. The play is so clever because it takes the same situation and shows how different each outcome can be."
It is a play whose vehicles are those events which usually slip us by and therefore it takes the commonplace and makes it evident while underlining its validity. As astrophysicists, both Henri and Hubert have been studying "unity theory", a theory which connects the fundamental forces of the universe and explains their interactions, and the playwright illustrates this visually through the action on stage. These little things are precisely those forces which push and pull our lives apart - they are the lynchpins of human sentiment. And it is ironic that while the theory of unity is being discussed by the characters, they themselves are far from being unified.
The child amplifies the sense of disunity by highlighting the opposing polarity of the characters in the various ways they deal with him. He is never seen but very much heard throughout the play and contrives in bringing together all the minute details which drive the action from chocolate fingers to shrill, petulant interruptions. All four actors agree that the good rapport between the cast members is crucial to the performance. In the words of Alex Grech: "You need each other to lift the piece up. It's a tough piece to do - but it's very rewarding. The play is like an elastic band between four characters. When someone says something, it's as if the elastic is twanged: there are repercussions on others." Mr Grech believes that people who enjoyed Art will find many of Reza's signature structures in Life X 3.
I agree with Mr Grech that Life X 3 "will be a conversation piece after the performance is over". It provides a stage where basic human tension meets humour in a battle of wits which reminds all of us of the one time when we said to ourselves with hindsight "I wonder what would have happened if I'd behaved differently."
• Life X 3 is being staged by MADC at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bookings may be made by phone on 2124 6389 or online at bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt