Comedy
Filumena Marturano
Talenti co-production
Manoel Theatre

It is no common occurrence that a play receives a standing ovation at the Manoel Theatre.

...de Filippo’s famous heroine is a pivotal role requiring an actress of the calibre of now-legendary (Carmen) Azzopardi- Carmel Serracino

At the end of the performance of Filumena Marturano on Saturday night, the whole theatre stood on its feet.

What compelled the audience to demonstrate this acclaim was, however, not only the performance.

It was chiefly due to Talenti founder and main actor Mario Micallef suddenly rushing down to the stalls to present a flower (or was it a whole bouquet?) to Carmen Azzopardi, the venerable actress who sat in one of the front rows.

Patrons in the immediate vicinity leapt to their feet, unable to resist the sheer emotional impact caused by this well-deserved and well-devised homage.

Soon all the rest of us were standing, some simply to get a better view and perhaps understand the reason behind the commotion. Ironically, this accolade to the actress whose Filumena dazzled Maltese theatregoers (and later, TV viewers) three decades ago, unwittingly highlighted the main weakness of the presentation we had just watched.

Eduardo de Filippo’s famous heroine is a pivotal role requiring an actress of the calibre of now-legendary Ms Azzopardi.

Unless the artist can combine a powerful stage-presence with a mastery of technique and an ability to convey depth of feeling and subtle shades of character, the part of Filumena is bound to fall short of expectations.

By taking on this role, actress Rita Camilleri bit off more than she can currently chew.

To pull this one off, an actress needs much more than a commanding voice and an imposing stature.

Despite her efforts, the portrayal felt rather stodgy, devoid of the charismatic intensity and hampered by awkward movement.

I felt there was a lack of depth from the beginning, but especially in the second act when we witnessed Filumena’s seemingly acceptance of defeat.

Perhaps Ms Camilleri is more adapt to television acting, as her bio note on the programme testified.

As Domenico Soriano, the leading man of the play, Mario Micallef fared better – no lack of experience in this performance! There was a lot of the particularly wailing tone of voice that has become somewhat characteristic of the actor.

Either you like it or you do not. The supporting cast, led by Ninette Micallef and Snits, did a fine job, but none of the parts were large enough to stand out or to have an overall impact on the performance.

Salvu Mallia directed.

Like the painter that he is, Mr Mallia was particularly successful in the way he placed actors on stage.

A well-known colourful figure, he looked bemused when towards the finale he crossed the stage dressed as a priest.

He must have realised what an absurd piece of masquerading this was.

At least it managed to get a few snickers from the audience.

I must also say a few words about the programme note, which could have been prepared to a much higher standard.

For one thing, there was hardly anything particularly interesting or instructive to read in it, nothing about the author, his classic play, the history of its performance or Maltese translator Louis Azzopardi.

Instead, we had four pages of actors’ bio notes with endless lists of previous theatre and TV appearances, all written with an individual style, and probably cut and pasted from the e-mail each actor sent to whoever was responsible for compiling this programme.

One bio note was in the first person, the rest in the third, so much for consistency of presentation. However, what irked me most was the host of orthographical mistakes in Maltese, some of the very basic kind, which littered the text, indicating that nobody had deigned to give it a cursory read before sending it to print.

At the cost of €2 each, I expected much more than this regrettably dismal fare.

The programme is the first thing that meets the patron’s eye once he has taken his seat in the theatre, even before curtain is up, and the impression can have a lasting effect to the reception of what proceeds.

Manoel Theatre should increase its vigilance on the production of programmes. This would ensure the avoidance of cardinal mistakes, such as misspelling the name of Malta’s greatest playwright, and twice for the matter.