[attach id=238653 size="medium"]Although Jane Marshall felt slightly too grotesque at times, there is no denying the sheer energy and imagination of her acting. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi[/attach]

Theatre
L-Indemonjati u Maltin Oħra
Manoel Theatre

The crowd that thronged the Manoel Theatre last Saturday for L-Indemonjati u Maltin Oħra dispelled any suspicion that Maltese theatregoers are loath to watch original works by Maltese playwrights written in their mother tongue.

Given a promising Maltese title and theme, a few crowd-pulling names and a robust publicity, people will come out in their hundreds.

In this case, the high ticket price probably accounted for the predominance of a middle-aged audience.

The new play, penned and directed by Albert Marshall, inaugurated the first edition of L-Istaġun tat-Teatru Malti. This is a highly commendable initiative by producer Mario Philip Azzopardi, who has set up Fondazzjoni Avventura to ascertain the continuation of this enterprise on a yearly basis.

The final product itself, though technically very well accomplished, left me rather detached and bewildered on a number of counts.

Marshall himself confessed that when he came to write his note for the programme, he was left staring at his screen. He stated that the play eludes categorisation and its purpose is hard to define. The best word Marshall could come up with to describe it is a “karnivalata”, a piece of carnival fun.

As a satiric take on the local political situation, this play certainly contained a lot of colour, farce and bawdy burlesque reminiscent of carnival. Indeed, it was a mélange offering much more than that. But, as for the fun, I think there is commonly more of it in the typical political fare that we have been watching every night for months on TV than in this play.

Why the Maltese audience continues to find vulgar expressions in the vernacular such a source of hilarity merits a serious socio-anthropological study in its own right

When it comes to current politics, the media is a monstrous competitor to grapple with and get the better of, even for the stage. Although temporally proximate to the political events that have inspired it, the play felt outdated particularly due to the media having long since capitalised on them ad nauseam.

Marshall is a recognised master of the language, possessing eloquence only few Maltese possess. In writing this piece, he seems to have unleashed his rich verbal paraphernalia with evident relish. He avoided resorting to the dreaded bilingualism that seems to have become a major pitfall for authors writing in Maltese today.

Other than Maltese, the only language he used on occasion is Latin, which Marshall knows well and even teaches. However, the insistence on the use of coarse Maltese utterances in nearly every other line soon became rather annoying. I think it is an easy way to get laughs but it underestimates the intelligence of the audience.

Why the Maltese audience continues to find vulgar expressions in the vernacular such a source of hilarity merits a serious socio-anthropological study in its own right.

The cast was uniformly excellent and was undoubtedly the main asset of the play. The veteran actors somehow stood out. Although Jane Marshall felt slightly too grotesque at times, there is no denying the sheer energy and imagination of her acting.

Anthony Ellul was better and subtler than in his recent portrayals. Mario Micallef was a pleasure to watch and delivered a fine monologue, which is no surprise since he has turned this art into his forte. Marvic Cordina, who, in spite of her young looks must count among the experienced veterans, shone in her role.

Of the younger generation of actors, Sean Buhagiar, who was responsible for the leading part of the play, gave his best and left a strong impression. Physically, he managed to create a new persona, proving yet again that he is one of the most reliable actors of the contemporary stage. Larissa Bonnici, Clive Piscopo, Kris Spiteri (splendid as the Ambassador) and the young Jamie Cardona all provided excellent support.

The set and lighting were used to good effect. The piece featured choreography by Mavin Khoo, who had previously collaborated with Marshall in L-Għanja Taċ-Ċinju.

The songs, composed by musician Elton Zarb, worked better than the dancing. Zarb also coached the actors vocally, and did a fine job with Ellul, who incredibly claims that this was his singing debut.

Now one keenly looks forward to Clare Azzopardi’s play next month – In-Nisa Maltin Jafu Kif – as well as to a work on Vassalli which I gather will be the subject of next year’s L-Istaġun tat-Teatru Malti.