Maxine Brimmer reviews Staġun Teatru Malti’s latest production, Ħabbilni Ħa Nirbaħ, in a satricial tale ripped straight from local newspapers.

With a story ripped straight from local newspapers, Ħabbilni Ħa Nirbaħ is the latest production from Staġun Teatru Malti and playwright Simon Bartolo. Although the production was surrounded controversy in the week leading up to its opening night, the backstage drama seemed to thankfully remain out of sight while the curtain was up, allowing the play and its impeccable cast to shine.

In 2014, local newspapers reported the seemingly sensational story of four 15-year-old girls who dared each other to get pregnant by the same man. Although the original story remains mysteriously vague, the shocking tale was enough to light a spark of inspiration. And so, this tale of Maltese family life, teenage drama, and disconnected generations was born.

Narcy Calamatta and Josette Ciappara.

As can be expected of Bartolo’s work, the script has its finger firmly on the pulse of Maltese society, with hilarious and unapologetically sharp dialogue flying around left, right and centre. There will be those who complain that the dialogue is a shade more vulgar than would be expected on the national stage. To these, I ask: what rock are you living under? The greatest highlight of this production, beyond a doubt, is the script’s gleeful use of the Maltese language in its most honest form – warts and all.

The plot, which focuses on the four infamous teenagers, their families, and the unsuspecting object of their mutual affection, unfolds well, although it does take a considerable amount of time to get to the bet which serves as the play’s infamous centrepiece.

Although the production was surrounded by controversy in the week leading up to its opening night, the backstage drama remained out of sight while the curtain was up, allowing the play and its impeccable cast to shine

Bolstered by the natural comic timing of its impressive ensemble cast, the script of Ħabbilni ħa Nirbaħ certainly has wit to spare – sometimes at the cost of the play’s rising action. While each scene brought new laughs, the pacing was at times slowed down by the slightly repetitious nature of the dialogue, which could have done with light pruning in certain areas. Nevertheless, the play succeeded in holding the audience’s attention throughout, earning raucous laughter from start to finish.

It’s a common saying amongst theatre folk that ‘there are no small parts, only small actors’ and, while that most often seems to be the motto of sulky, overlooked amateur dramatists everywhere, it could not be more true in the case of Ħabbilni ħa Nirbaħ.

Every member of the 13-person cast gives a great performance, regardless of the size of their role. The play’s four leading ladies, Kim Dalli, Mariele Zammit, Daniela Carabott Pawley and Shelby Aquilina, are absolutely fantastic both individually and in their group scenes. They have a natural chemistry together, which truly makes their role as misbehaving school friends seem plausible.

As Brenda Grech, the group’s de facto leader and instigator, Kim Dalli gives a well-rounded performance, proving that she’s equally capable of comedy and drama and flipping between the two easily. Mariele Zammit’s Georgina is the odd one out in her group, a naive and otherwise well-behaved young girl, played with no small amount of charm and innocence by Zammit.

Meanwhile, as cousins Karla and Ylenia, Carabott Pawley and Aquilina are a fantastically cheeky pair, delivering some of the best lines throughout the production.

Honourable mention should also go to Narcy Calamatta, as long-suffering patriarch Fortunato Saliba, whose aggravated take-down of his disappointing offspring elicited a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience. Although it is truly difficult to pinpoint individuals in this strong cast, I must also admit a soft spot for Monica Attard’s turn as Georgina’s social media-loving grandmother.

Whatever setbacks the cast and crew faced during the rehearsal process, I don’t feel that it detracts from the production in any way and that makes the creative effort all the more commendable in my eyes. The direction was steady throughout , with the unfortunate exception of a dramatic scene between Brenda and her parents towards the end. Where the cast had seemed strong throughout the rest of the play, this sudden turn to a somewhat serious subject matter allowed the play to tumble into the realms of melodramatic absurdity, which wasn’t always as successful as it could have been.

Whatever trials and tribulations this production may have faced before the curtain rose, Ħabbilni ħa Nirbaħ nevertheless remains a piece of highly-entertaining local theatre.