With his new script premiering at the Blue Box Theatre later this month, James Calvert meets Jo Caruana to discuss what promises to be a laugh-a-minute farce, The Trophy Room.
The theatre season has now kicked off in earnest and, among the companies producing original works are comedy specialists Mostly Harmless. After years of directing, producing and acting in plays written by other people, the team behind Mostly Harmless has decided it is time for them to take matters into their own hands.
“Finding the right play to perform in Malta is never easy,” says James Calvert, who has spent the last few months penning and directing The Trophy Room. “Some may need a set that is hard to recreate, others may have a cast that is difficult to put together. You have to bear in mind that with the limited runs we have over here, you can’t spend a fortune creating complex sets or putting together massive casts.”
And, of course, there’s nothing worse than reading a brilliant script and then realising you just don’t have the resources to produce it. Writing their own play ensured that the theatre company would have a production that was not just suited to a local audience, but that also fitted in with the theatre they are using and the cast they had available.
Thus, The Trophy Room – a hilarious tale of football, sex, blackmail and relationships, set against the backdrop of the richest league in the world – was born. The story revolves around Ben Clark, a Premiership footballer who has it all – great job, stunning wife, beautiful home and more money than most people could earn in a dozen lifetimes. But, while things look brilliant on the surface, all is not quite as peachy as it seems.
The team enjoyed not having to interpret what the author had in mind; they had him there in the rehearsal room with them
“What unfolds over the 90 minutes of the show is a series of funny events full of twists, one-liners and snappy dialogue that will make sure you never look at a professional footballer in the same way again,” says James, who is clearly thrilled that he managed to find a way to combine many of his favourite things into one laugh-a-minute script.
This will be James’s first play and he has really enjoyed the process. “The knowledge that you are creating something that is totally fresh and unique is brilliant,” he says. “In addition, the fact that you are writing something with specific actors in mind gives you the ability to tailor the script to suit their talents and characteristics.”
The team also enjoyed not having to second guess or interpret what the author had in mind or the message he was trying to get across – they had him there in the rehearsal room with them the whole time.
But it hasn’t all been a walk in the park. Creating a completely new piece comes with its trials.
“The actual physical writing is quite challenging,” James continues, “You have to make sure the plot makes senses, that the twists are logical, that the lines are funny and that the whole thing actually constitutes a show. And then there’s the re-writing.”
Explaining what audiences should expect, James explains that The Trophy Room is a good, old-fashioned, dialogue-driven comedy with a tiny dash of farce thrown in for good measure.
“There are one-liners, plot twists and even the odd moment which could almost be described as touching,” he says with a wry smile.
“What people shouldn’t expect is a play about football, because that is very much not the case. Although The Trophy Room is set against the backdrop of the beautiful game, it is a story about relationships, money, friendship and blackmail. It’s no more about football than The Wizard of Oz is about roads,” he quips.
The Trophy Room is being staged at the Blue Box Theatre in Msida between Saturday and October 18. All shows start at 8pm and tickets are available online.
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