After its initial run at the Manoel Theatre and in the larger University auditorium in 2008, Minn Wara ż-Żipp, Trevor Zahra’s irreverent response to the Vagina Monologues, are back for a five-night stint at the University.
“It is a series of monologues about that thing that makes us men,” producer Adrian Buckle says of the show. Starting off with the birth of Redeemer, the monologues follow his growth as a child into adolescence, to admiring teen sex symbols, to masturbation, onto the first sexual escapades and old age, where the blue pill makes an appearance.
Although mostly humorous in tone, Minn Wara ż-Żipp has its serious moments, especially when delving into AIDS, sexuality and gay issues.
“The idea to stage the play came when Trevor Zahra and I were discussing the possibility of staging another of his gems, Is-Surmast. Zahra told me that he was working on this series of monologues and asked me if I would be interested in giving it a look. I accepted immediately, because I liked the idea and I remember that when I read it I couldn’t stop laughing,” Buckle says.
Following the input of director Chris Gatt, who insisted on adding some monologues to the script, the result was a show that had audiences wanting more.
“I think that the audiences found a production that would make them relax, laugh and also think about certain myths in life. The story talks about the male. But it is not only about the alpha-male. It is also about male insecurities and insufficiencies.
“Zahra has a unique way of portraying an argument. He usually does it comically, but never takes away the pathos of the argument. This may not be a show for all the family – I imagine parents would think twice before bringing in younger children – but patrons from 16 years up will understand it, appreciate it and love it,” Buckle says.
“In this year’s version, we are trying to make the play bigger, better and funnier,” the producer says. “Trevor has written some new monologues which are just as hilarious as the original ones, but Chris is aiming to create a different feel to the project.”
This time round, the show will be divided into two acts and plans are afoot to bring a band on board, which would be useful, given that Zahra has gone through the trouble of writing some songs specifically for the show, songs which are “both naughty and hilarious”.
“We are updating the monologues to today’s reality, because perceptions change. For example, today we have more awareness about gay rights, something that in 2008 was unthinkable,” Buckle says.
Does Buckle feel that masculinity is under-represented in theatre? “There have been some good shows exploring the male psyche in Malta,” he says.
“But generally, I would say that not too many plays staged in Malta tackle the problem of male psyche. We seem to take the male psyche for granted and wallow in clichés. In-Nisa Maltin Jafu Kif explored the female psyche very intelligently and playwright Clare Azzopardi and director Marcelle Teuma deserve all the accolades that can be afforded to them.
We are not in the business to offend anyone. All we are trying to do is put on good theatre
“However, Minn Wara ż-Żipp does for the male psyche what Nisa Maltin did for the female psyche, and of this I am proud.”
The previous incarnation of the show was criticised by this newspaper’s reviewer for trying too hard not to offend anyone. How did Buckle, known for trespassing the boundaries of local theatre, react to that?
“My reaction is that we never try to offend. We are not in the business to offend anyone. All we are trying to do is put on good theatre,” he says.
“We have had a couple of sensational plays, especially last season, but that is not why I am in the business. I have not shied away from breaking taboos in the past but there was always a reason for it. If you shock or offend just for the sake of attracting an audience, then that is not good theatre.”
It is fair to say that Minn Wara ż-Żipp – a comedy show in Maltese – is uncharacteristic of Unifaun’s general fare, which is imported drama.
What drew Unifaun to this particular show and why are they doing it again? After all, with Porn – the Musical and adult panto Puss in Boots, local audiences of late have been well served with that sort of humour.
“Once I asked a friend whether she attends theatre. Her reply was that she should but she doesn’t. And there lies the problem – perception. People see theatre as a form of education. But it is not. It offers entertainment, just like cinema does. If people are not entertained, they stop going to the theatre. That is what Unifaun tries to do. We try to entertain people,” Buckle says.
“Mostly, we do it by giving them food for thought, but it is also possible to do so by making people laugh. We have put on a good number of comedies since 2005 and I think that Minn Wara ż-Żipp is as much in our line as Stitching is.”