The new theatre season kicked off with Masquerade’s production of Anthony Horowitz’s short play, A Handbag. The play ran for one weekend at the Blue Box in Msida, which is fast becoming one of the most important theatre venues on the Island.

The play, originally penned for the National Theatre’s (UK) New Connections programme for young people, is based on a group of young people struggling to rehearse Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. We slowly realise that the actors are, in fact, a group of young detainees in a young offenders’ facility somewhere in the UK.

As the rehearsal degenerates into a squabbling match between the various members of the cast, glimpses of the grim individual stories start to emerge.

The production was directed by Andy Smith, who also teaches at Masquerade’s drama school. His direction was taught and his staging was economical.

Smith certainly managed to bring out some strong performances from his young, yet extremely talented, cast. I was particularly impressed with Steffi Thake’s performance of Rose, a young inmate who plays Lady Bracknell intent on questioning every line and detail in Wilde’s script, much to the annoyance of George (another strong performance by Joseph Zammit), who plays the part of Jack Worthing and also directs the play within the play.

All credit must go to Masquerade, however, for providing young actors such a wonderful platform for showcasing their talent

Thake’s expert use of her body language clearly portrayed the inner doubt and obsessive nature of her complex personality. Hers was a very delicately weighted performance that showed considerable skill and restraint.

Rose, however, is probably the least of George’s problems when compared to Allan, a loud and brash character (played with much bravado by Joe Azzopardi), who challenges George’s choice of play for the inmates to perform. Azzopardi deftly manages to balance the comic and the tragic elements of his character.

To my mind, this was where Horowitz’s (otherwise pedantic) script briefly came alive in the way he contrasts the elitist view of theatre (particularly London’s West End and exemplified by Wilde’s comic masterpiece) with the grim everyday reality that these young offenders are indefinitely experiencing. This contrast challenges the audience to question the relevance of theatre, particularly for young people. It is a rhetorical question that must be continuously asked.

A very interesting character is that of Specs, who plays the prompter. Although severely hampered by his strong stammer and his reclusive character, as soon as Specs gets on stage he is inexplicably transformed into a virtuoso and an authority on Wilde, losing not only his stammer but also his extreme shyness. Christian Gauci handled this difficult role very well and managed the transformations skilfully.

All in all it was a bit of a mixed bag with some excellent acting propping up a relatively pedestrian script that only managed to tackle the questions raised in a superficial manner.

All credit must go to Masquerade, however, for providing young actors such a wonderful platform for showcasing their talent.