Staġun Teatru Malti returns with Simon Bartolo’s new play, Ħabbilini Ħa Nirbaħ. Based on a real life story that hit the news headlines some time ago, the story revolves around four young teenagers who place an unusual bet – who would be the first of the group to get pregnant by the boy they are all infatuated with?
“This is not so much a comedy about pregnancy, as social media would have it, but more a satiric reflection on the disturbing issue of teenage pregnancy, which is becoming quite a problem locally. Simon Bartolo’s script can be described as a scathing parody about misguided youth, lack of parenting and loss of traditions,” explained Mario Philip Azzopardi, executive producer at Staġun Teatru Malti.
The production boasts a healthy mix between veteran names and new talent, with Monica Attard, Narcy Calamatta and Josette Ciappara hailing from the veteran camp and Kim Dalli, Daniela Carabott Pawley, Mariele Zammit and Shelby Aquilina on the relatively newcomer side of the cast. “Don’t be fooled by the word newcomer,” says director Sean Buhagiar, who two seasons ago scored one of the biggest successes to hit the local stage with another Simon Bartolo play, Jiena Nħobb Inti Tħobb. “These are four names we will be hearing a lot about in the future. They may be young in years, but their talent is already evident. It is a pleasure to work with this cast; when you add such stalwarts as Monica Attard, Narcy Calamatta and Josette Cippara to the mix, a great evening for all theater lovers is pretty much guaranteed.”
While the plotline is based on actual happenings that were reported in the media, there are those who insist that the story is nothing but an urban myth.
“Whether the actual details are true or not, the fact remains that the story was picked out of local Maltese headlines. Four 14-year-old girls make a bet as to who would get pregnant first, by a boy they all had a crush on. Not the wisest of bets but, underlining the story is a problem that resonates beyond the silly and the immature. Not that teenage pregnancy is a modern dilemma, of course. But, in this case, what really left a mark on the national psyche was the nonchalance these four girls seem to have adopted when they made the bet. Their identity, thankfully, remains unknown – and that is how it should stay. Our challenging was to discover and reveal the cultural and social milieu that could induce such behaviour. Certain aspects of the story were obvious. Fiction fills in the blanks,” says Buhagiar.
The afore-mentioned production of Jiena Nħobb Inti Tħobb, also produced by Staġun Teatru Malti, was a game-changer on the Maltese theatre scene and the controversy that accompanied it is talked about to date. Ħabbilini Ħa Nirbaħ, Buhagiar believes, also seems to have caused a reaction.
“Bartolo’s style, with rapid-fire dialogue and an unflinching, tongue-in-cheek expose’ of Maltese mores, guarantees another milestone in the history of theatre in Malta. Yes, it’s naughty, controversial and irreverent. But it is also very relevant to all of us, and unabashedly entertaining,” Buhagiar concludes.
Ħabbilni ħa Nirbaħ takes place between February 12 and 21 at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta. Tickets are available at the box-office and online.
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