The different faces of Marjelena: (from left) Olivia-Ann Marmarà, MandyMifsud and Louise Fenech. Photo: Victor Abela

Theatre
Marjelena
Pjazza Teatru Rjal

With rising awareness of the often hidden plight of women in daily life, including the local scene, Leanne Ellul’s new play, Marjelena, performed by Bakkanti Troupe at the Green Room of Pjazza Teatru Rjal, was a welcome addition to the genre of feminist-driven drama.

This play explores the psyche of women who have suffered some form or other of discrimination – from violence to double standards at work and intellectual slights.

Directed by Josette Ciappara, with lighting design by Ray Mamo, Marjelena is a double narrative which reflects the double standards often challenging women.

It tells the story of multiple women – all called Marjelena, who could all be the same and yet are so different – implying, of course, that social class and the paths you choose in life don’t necessarily mean that women are that dissimilar when it comes to discrimination.

The overlying narrative takes place in a dentist’s waiting room, with four apparently very diverse women, the first a patient, barging in for an appointment, played by a very convincing and nuanced Mandy Mifsud. Her character is brash and loud, chavvy and ready to pounce on anybody who irritates or disrespects her. She has a difficult relationship with her husband and finds it hard to reconcile her current situation with the lost promise of her youth.

Marjelena was consequently character driven on the surface level, while an underlying second narrative developed

The second woman was executed cogently and insightfully by Olivia-Ann Marmarà, who portrays the dentist’s receptionist and is very comme il faut: exuding decorum and poise.

The third woman saw Louise Fenech as the prim, bookish patient with a hidden fiery temper.

Alison Abela played the fourth woman – a very ditzy, English-speaking and earnest patient, whose childlike innocence belies a darker truth.

These four women are all different aspects of the same Marjelena – who, it turns out, had an illicit relationship with her teacher, Luca Bianco (Aldo Zammit) years back and is now on edge because the man has resurfaced and seems to be embroiled in some scheme with her rude and rather savage husband, Simon (Gilbert Formosa).

Meanwhile, the kindly dentist, George Agius, played by David Scicluna Giusti, attempts to manage his increasingly rowdy waiting room as matters between the women and the two men escalate.

Zammit’s predatory Luca and Formosa’s sleazy Simon is contrasted with Scicluna Giusti’s subdued but forceful Dentist and together the three provided a stereotypical male counter-force for the women to expose their grievances against.

Marjelena was consequently character-driven on the surface level, while an underlying second narrative developed based on theme and genre and exposing the darker elements of male-female dyads was allowed to take shape based on the short scenes which highlighted the women’s inner thoughts and emotional trauma suffered at the hands of the men in their lives.

Good use of lighting and space meant that this well-cast piece held its own in spite of a script which required a final polish, but which nonetheless got its message across.