Theatre
Peculiar Children
Manoel Theatre
You never really know what you are letting yourself in for with conceptual theatre. It has a reputation for being quirky and overly experimental, with end results that veer away from the conventional and that often do not turn out the way they are expected to.
Dressed in simple black, with just a scarf to denote Jacob from the rest, the simplicity of the set and dress code helped to better showcase the students’ capabilities
I’m very glad to say that the experiment paid dividends to all members of the Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre.
Presented as part of the Toi Toi Education Programme, the performances of Peculiar Children last month were a pleasure to watch and reconfirmed my belief that when you put your heart in it, a performance can be engaging and moving irrespective of whether one is still a student or a more experienced professional. For these young people, it was certainly a job well done.
Directed and mentored by the ever-encouraging Denise Mulholland, who knows just how to extract the right response and foster enthusiasm from young people on stage, the cast of Peculiar Children devised a piece with an interesting and engaging plot.
Their concept blended fantasy and reality from two ends of the spectrum – from the serenity and sanctuary that a time-locked, rambling country house offers to the horrors of war and Nazi persecution. It was a labour of love which took much time and effort but the final product was worth waiting for.
Recounting the story of Abraham Portman and his escape from the Nazis in World War II, his grandson, Jacob, living in 2013, realises that towards the end of his life, Abraham was running scared for the demons inside his head. In an attempt to figure out Abraham’s cryptic clues, Jacob sets out to retrace his grandfather’s life during the war and his quest leads him to an island where a once large house stood outside a village.
The house used to be an orphanage which was bombed during the war, killing all the children inside it – all but Abraham. Jacob feels the departed children’s presence and chases them through a tunnel into a time loop, where he finds that he has been transported back to the day they died.
The children, with the help of Miss Peregrine, their headmistress, keep the menacing shadows at bay and reset the time loop daily. To help Jacob understand why they were persecuted, the children made use of shadow theatre and told their story as ‘peculiars’ – children with supposed unusual powers who were different to others.
This clear metaphor for the persecution of those who do not fit the norm was executed extremely well by the ensemble, as were their skills in character doubling.
Several cast members portrayed the roles of Jacob and Abraham, notably, Raphael Pace as Abraham and Justin Mamo, Bettina Paris, Ruth Borg and Karen Decelis as Jacob. Their transition from fear to understanding, to compassion and ultimate sacrifice within Jacob’s character, helped to create a strong lead and an identifiable anchor for the piece.
Dressed in simple black, with just a scarf to denote Jacob from the rest, the simplicity of the set and dress code helped to better showcase the students’ capabilities.
I also enjoyed Becky Camilleri’s portrayal of Miss Peregrine – this young woman has a wonderfully strong and richly mellow voice which kept me more focused on her than on the puppet she was handling.
Another voice I enjoyed listening to was Federica Giallombardo, whose original score, played almost entirely on classical guitar, was quite a revelation. She was accompanied by Taryn Mamo Cefai and Bettina Paris, whose vocal and interpretive range on stage has matured considerably.
With very well-choreographed flight and fight scenes, Peculiar Children also showcased a play which is physical yet compassionate and empathic in its understanding of suffering.
The students of the Manoel Youth Theatre gave a performance which touches historic and emotional chords while remaining refreshingly contemporary and experimental in its approach.
Very well done to all.