Staġun Teatru Malti’s 2016 season opens at the Manoel Theatre on February 12, with Simon Bartolo’s new play Ħabbilini Ħa Nirbaħ.
The title and the poster – featuring four pregnant school girls, has already irked some and made others chuckle, in keeping with Staġun Teatru Malti’s trademark of putting a touch of fun and controversial naughtiness in its contemporary theatrical work.
“We do try to offer as varied a menu as we can,” says executive producer Mario Philip Azzopardi. “Controversy is not the only staple in our repertoire. If we are going to talk about ourselves in an intelligent, adult, way, then we have to have the guts to look into an uncompromising theatrical mirror, fashioned by socially-committed artists who aren’t afraid to challenge perceptions, to question taboos and to unmask hypocrisy wherever they find it.”
The challenge, he continues, is to make sure that none of this becomes preachy or boring and “feeling like homework”.
After the biggest Maltese hit at the Manoel Theatre two years ago – Jiena Nħobb, Inti Tħobb, which played to sold out houses – Bartolo returns with another fiercely tongue-in-cheek social comedy, taken out of the Maltese news headlines.
Remember the story about those four girls who had a bet between themselves about who would manage to get pregnant first by a young man they all were in love with? Well, that was the starting point for Simon Bartolo.
After 14 gruelling months of work-shopping the script, Staġun Teatru Malti asked Sean Buhagiar, who had also directed Jiena Nħobb, Inti Tħobb, to step into his directorial boots to helm the upcoming play.
“Simon’s dialogue is current, fiery, and unapologetic,” says Buhagiar. “I’d be loathe to call this a comedy. Yes, there are lots of laughs, but the play goes beyond the funny, to delve into themes that lead to very serious outcomes. The subtitle says it all – Fejn Fallejna?, ie, where did we go wrong?”
The cast includes established names Monica Attard, Narcy Calamatta, Josette Ciappara, Carlos Farrugia, Vince Micallef Pulé, Antonella Axisa, Marceline Galea, Lorriane D’Ugo and Jean Pierre Cassar. The four girls are being played by Kim Dalli, Daniela Carabott Pawley, Mariele Żammit and Shelby Aquilina.
Ħabbilni ħa Nirbaħ takes place between February 12 and 21 at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta. Tickets are available at the box-office and online.
www.teatrumanoel.com.mt