Theatre
Politira
Splendid, Valletta

In a bipartisan country like ours, there is one thing we all agree on, and that is that we love to get vociferously involved in political debate, just because it gives us a great excuse for a sounding board from which to air our differences and take sides.

The reality of Maltese politics is, of course, not that one party is ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than the other, but that they are equally matched when it comes to their own internal politics and conflicts… and corruption.

Mediteatru’s political satire Politira, staged last weekend at Splendid in Strait Street, explores just this: the way in which people get ahead in the dog-eat-dog world of local politics and just how much those involved tend to adhere to the adage that the ends justify the means.

Writer and director Keith Borg’s script was both insightful and incisive – laying bare the affected manner in which people in politics actually run the show, or derail it. While the staging was the best it could be in the restricted space offered by the seating and layout in the large salon at Splendid, it was rather uncomfortable to crane one’s neck to see the action taking place on the different levels of the acting platforms.

Minister Shawn Balzan (Mariano Said), of the Socialist Liberal Party, is an up-and-coming politician who is contesting the next election under the steely navigation of his Prime Minister, Agnes (Moira Muscat).

Politira was a solid and honest portrayal of political corruption and intrigue in the local scene and deserves to be seen by a much larger audience than the holding capacity at Splendid

His overly liberal, womanising ways are a source of embarrassment and anger to his son Ben (Kurt Pawley) and difficult to deal with for his PR man Joe (Aldo Zammit).

Mariano Said (left) with Aldo Zammit.

Said’s Shawn struck the right balance between ruthless politician and failing family man, whose actions disappoint his only son Ben for having been unfaithful to his mother while she was terminally ill. Shawn tries to appease Ben by bribing him with money and a scholarship – which Ben demands in return for a positive interview to shore up his plummeting popularity in the polls.

Said’s interactions and banter with Zammit’s Joe – his ‘fixer’ ­– were natural and revealed his natural antipathy towards the lesbian Moira whose OCD and domineering manner annoy him as much as the slurs from the opposition leader, Michel (Carlos Farrugia).

The parsimonious goading that Michel exerts on Agnes in their televised debates was executed well by Farrugia as an uptight conservative leader trying to turn the tides in his favour and inciting the ire of Balzan by publicly exposing his shady dealings and confronting Agnes with them.

Muscat gave a confident and measured performance as Agnes, whose human side emerged in her short scene with her partner Nicole (Lara Borg Vella), alleviating her cold exterior and exposing her worries as a party leader in need of an election victory.

Ben convinced his girlfriend Jessica (Kelly Peplow) to help him bribe more money out of his father by anonymously threatening him with a short video clip of him at a bar, surrounded by scantily-clad women, shooting up cocaine. It boiled down to poor Joe to sort out everybody’s problems and do the dirty work too.

Zammit’s performance was even and credible, making for a surprisingly likeable character, matching Zammit’s Agnes, at least in terms of the little integrity they do have. Pawley’s Ben was understandably angry at his father but ultimately ended up acting in a caddish manner similar to his father’s – vindictively and rather ruthlessly orchestrating his downfall, much to his girlfriend’s disapproval. Jessica was a character which Peplow played rather overly strongly, but with clear commitment, which came across as brusque but well-intentioned.

Combining dark humour with even darker truths, Politira was a solid and honest portrayal of political corruption and intrigue in the local scene and deserves to be seen by a much larger audience than the holding capacity at Splendid.