Great comedy can be born of the mundane and the Secret Lives of Henry and Alice revolves around it. Jo Caruana meets comedy duo Denise Mulholland and Alan Montanaro as they embark on the long-awaited launch of their theatre company TNT.
ALAN Montanaro is one of Malta’s foremost comedy icons; and the fact that we are often used to watching him don a pair of high heels and a padded bra by no means limits his hilarious antics to that of the pantomime dame. Denise Mulholland, in turn, has brought her hilarious Glaswegian style to our stage, and already locals are becoming accustomed to her effortless ability to make us giggle. In short, their pairing and formation of TNT Theatre Productions has already got theatre goers on the edge of their seats, eager for that first, hilarious production.
The Secret Lives of Henry and Alice, by uproarious playwright David Tristram, certainly seems like the perfect play to break the company in nicely. With only their pet goldfish, Orca, for company and the TV for entertainment protagonist Henry and Alice exist in a mundane, pedestrian bubble where they bicker and squabble endlessly about trivia.
“This play is very funny and we really wanted to kick things off with a comedy,” explains Ms Mulholland, who moved to Malta from Scotland three years ago and has been active on the scene ever since. “Also it is a two-hander and, when we managed to persuade Polly March to direct again, we had a great feeling of déjà-vu as the three of us worked together on Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild, for the Malta Amateur Dramatics Club, just over a year ago. It was such a positive experience for all of us.
“This play will appeal to anyone who has ever been in a relationship, is in a relationship or intends ever being in a relationship. It is a play about people and about what happens when they stop talking to each other.”
The show follows Henry and Alice, who have been married for over 30 years and who, somewhere along the line, just lost sight of each other.
“Their dysfunctional relationship will resonate with many people,” continues Ms Mulholland. “We can all relate to that point in a marriage when the little things you found endearing at first become the very things that drive you insane!”
This will be the first play for the company, but the duo have shared a friendship, and valuable working relationship, which dates back to Ms Mulholland’s early days on the island. Having just wrapped work on a run of ’Allo ’Allo together (at the Monoel Theatre last month), aren’t they sick of each other?
“Yes!” she smiles. “But Alan has the best energy on stage. He is one of the funniest people I have ever worked with – I rarely laugh on stage, but I really struggle to keep a straight face with him at times. I admire his desire to keep learning and to keep growing as an actor. He has a (well-deserved) reputation as one of the best comedy actors on the island, but rather than rest on his laurels, he continues to push himself to learn new skills and take risks.”
Similarly, Mr Montanaro has plenty of admiration for his co-star: “Denise brings a lot of things to the table – she is a director, an actress, a singer and a musician with a huge amount of experience. In the relatively short space of time she has been here, she has established herself firmly in the local theatre circuit and has gained a lot of respect.
“We love performing and we really enjoy working together so rehearsals are fun – hard work but great fun. What other reason would persuade you to work all day at your regular job and then carry on working into the night?
“The company will look to produce different kinds of work, but we obviously want to play to our strengths too. Comedy will definitely play a big part in our future scheduling, but we are excited about the prospect of exploring different styles of theatre and involving other directors, including directors from abroad. Again, we are lucky because of the experience we both have – Denise, for instance, has worked a lot in musical theatre as a musical director and vocal coach and it would be great to think about using those skills. Whatever productions we do, we hope that they will have the same thing in common – a high standard of execution and expectation.
“Personally speaking, playing dame in panto is great fun and I enjoy every minute of it. I am, however, first and foremost an actor and enjoy stretching my boundaries every now and then. With the Secret Lives of Henry and Alice, Denise and I get to play 24 different roles – or caricatures – which is a huge challenge for me because most of the characters are intrinsically English so I’m having a lot of fun rolling my tongue around a myriad of regional accents: dropping Hs and rolling Rs!
“As a producer, I hope to be able to offer opportunities for actors and directors to push their own personal bar up while offering Maltese audiences a theatrical product that is both professional and highly entertaining. Several theatre companies have opened up in Malta now; competition is healthy and should be encouraged. The acid test is with the audience – if they want to watch the plays you are producing, then they will come. As long as the work being produced is of good quality and we all keep trying to raise the bar in terms of professional standards, then there should always be room for more.”
So what should audiences expect from this new collaboration?
“A good laugh, a great night out and maybe a little food for thought should come and watch this play,” smiles Ms Mulholland. “In the hands of a brilliant director like Polly March, the piece is elevated from ‘just a comedy’ to something which is rather bitter-sweet and touching yet is still laugh-out-loud funny. In the current doom and gloom climate, this play offers the audience a chance to forget what’s happening outside the theatre and indulge in a bit of a fantasy for a while!”
■ The Secret Lives of Henry and Alice is being performed at St James Cavalier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on May 29, 30, 31. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2122 3200 or by e-mail: boxoffice@sjcav.org. More information may be obtained online: www.tnttheatreproductions.com