How difficult is it, in today's hectic, stress-ridden world, to extract oneself from the seemingly increasingly complicated webs of interpersonal relationships, to get away, even temporarily, from everything and everyone? How difficult is it to find one's own space, where one can enjoy some privacy, peace and quiet? If Dejjaqtuni, Talenti's first theatrical production of the season, is to be believed, it's all but impossible.
The play's protagonist is Jay Spencer, a middle-aged advertising executive who finds himself on precisely such a quest for inner and outer peace. Feeling trapped in an unhappy and unsatisfying marriage, he decides to move out of his home and live alone in a small apartment. As can be expected, it's not as easy as that, and, rather than finding peace, his life becomes even more convoluted. Not only does his wife Sonia, a seductive and dangerous woman, hire a private investigator and manage to track him down, but within minutes of arriving at his new apartment, he finds himself having to deal with Darlene, a neighbour who exhibits strong suicidal tendencies. To add to the mix, his highly religious ex-wife Rose also appears on the scene, followed by Miss Parfitt, Jay's secretary, who also harbours a strong attraction towards him.
Dejjaqtuni is Tony Cassar Darien's translation into Maltese of Michael Pertwee's comedy Do Not Disturb, and is being produced under the direction of Zep Camilleri. Mario Micallef, the founder of Talenti and who is also playing the role of Jay Spencer, is vocal about the play's qualities, characterising it as an uproarious, breathless comedy. "What struck me most about the play, apart from the inventive and cleverly-drawn situation, is its fast pace and perfect timing - it's packed with relentless one-liners, very typical of English comedy."
Despite his obvious love for the script, however, Mr Micallef is also pragmatic about his reasons for choosing this play as his company's first for the season. "These days we can't help but notice that the theatre audience has decreased somewhat," he laments, voicing an all too common concern. He identifies increased competition from other media, particularly television serials, as having dealt a grave blow to the theatre. "The result of this is that we always have to strive to offer something more attractive for people to return to the theatre," Mr Micallef said. "Comedy has always been more popular with local audiences than works with a more serious tone. So, when, at the end of the last season, I sat down and started thinking about what we would do for this season, I immediately decided the best thing to do was to put up a comedy. So I looked for an exceptional comedy - and that's exactly what Michael Pertwee's play is. It's a play that's guaranteed to have the audience smiling throughout the two hours."
This is Talenti's second production of the play, following another production 10 years ago in which Mr Micallef also played the role of Jay Spencer. "It was a huge success," Mr Micallef remembers. "We have had plenty of requests to give Dejjaqtuni a second outing, both from people who attended the first production and by those who were too young to do so back then. So we decided that the time was right, and that it was a good idea to revisit the play."
Mr Micallef had also played the leading role in Talenti's first production of the play - he is the only original cast member to return, now acting alongside Marvic Cordina, Miriam Greenaway, Michelle Zerafa and Dulcima Aquilina. He says that returning to this role has rekindled fond memories for him. "I feel extremely comfortable playing this character," he says. "He's a character who is constantly worried - after all, if you find yourself in a situation such as this, you have no choice but to worry," he smiles. "But he is not a passive character - he constantly tries to sort out the situations that come up." What he found challenging about the role, he tells me, is its centrality - the whole play revolves around his character. "I speak the first words as soon as the curtain goes up, and I say the last word. I never leave the stage - the other characters come and go but I'm there all the time. It's a lot to learn by heart," he laughs.
Over the years, Talenti have developed a reputation for producing both original Maltese works as well as a large number of translations of foreign works, including several productions of Alfred Palma's translations of Shakespeare. I asked Mr Micallef about the motivation behind the company's choice to focus on such productions. "Experience has taught us that whenever there is a translation from another language into ours - once you have a good translator, at least - people get very interested," he says. "But having the right translator is crucial - it's a profession, and it requires skill, talent and adequate training. A translator can make a play, or he can destroy it."
Mr Micallef is clearly enthusiastic about Maltese language theatre. He speaks passionately about the need to encourage and promote work done for the theatre in Maltese. "It's a pity that in our country, with its small size taken into account, there are no incentives to promote the creation of works we can be proud to call our own. The talent is here - there are some very good Maltese writers," he says, "and with a little encouragement and work Maltese theatre can easily reach the highest level of quality."
• Dejjaqtuni is being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2124 6389, or by fax on 2123 7340 or by e-mail booking@teatrumanoel.com.mt.
The play's protagonist is Jay Spencer, a middle-aged advertising executive who finds himself on precisely such a quest for inner and outer peace. Feeling trapped in an unhappy and unsatisfying marriage, he decides to move out of his home and live alone in a small apartment. As can be expected, it's not as easy as that, and, rather than finding peace, his life becomes even more convoluted. Not only does his wife Sonia, a seductive and dangerous woman, hire a private investigator and manage to track him down, but within minutes of arriving at his new apartment, he finds himself having to deal with Darlene, a neighbour who exhibits strong suicidal tendencies. To add to the mix, his highly religious ex-wife Rose also appears on the scene, followed by Miss Parfitt, Jay's secretary, who also harbours a strong attraction towards him.
Dejjaqtuni is Tony Cassar Darien's translation into Maltese of Michael Pertwee's comedy Do Not Disturb, and is being produced under the direction of Zep Camilleri. Mario Micallef, the founder of Talenti and who is also playing the role of Jay Spencer, is vocal about the play's qualities, characterising it as an uproarious, breathless comedy. "What struck me most about the play, apart from the inventive and cleverly-drawn situation, is its fast pace and perfect timing - it's packed with relentless one-liners, very typical of English comedy."
Despite his obvious love for the script, however, Mr Micallef is also pragmatic about his reasons for choosing this play as his company's first for the season. "These days we can't help but notice that the theatre audience has decreased somewhat," he laments, voicing an all too common concern. He identifies increased competition from other media, particularly television serials, as having dealt a grave blow to the theatre. "The result of this is that we always have to strive to offer something more attractive for people to return to the theatre," Mr Micallef said. "Comedy has always been more popular with local audiences than works with a more serious tone. So, when, at the end of the last season, I sat down and started thinking about what we would do for this season, I immediately decided the best thing to do was to put up a comedy. So I looked for an exceptional comedy - and that's exactly what Michael Pertwee's play is. It's a play that's guaranteed to have the audience smiling throughout the two hours."
This is Talenti's second production of the play, following another production 10 years ago in which Mr Micallef also played the role of Jay Spencer. "It was a huge success," Mr Micallef remembers. "We have had plenty of requests to give Dejjaqtuni a second outing, both from people who attended the first production and by those who were too young to do so back then. So we decided that the time was right, and that it was a good idea to revisit the play."
Mr Micallef had also played the leading role in Talenti's first production of the play - he is the only original cast member to return, now acting alongside Marvic Cordina, Miriam Greenaway, Michelle Zerafa and Dulcima Aquilina. He says that returning to this role has rekindled fond memories for him. "I feel extremely comfortable playing this character," he says. "He's a character who is constantly worried - after all, if you find yourself in a situation such as this, you have no choice but to worry," he smiles. "But he is not a passive character - he constantly tries to sort out the situations that come up." What he found challenging about the role, he tells me, is its centrality - the whole play revolves around his character. "I speak the first words as soon as the curtain goes up, and I say the last word. I never leave the stage - the other characters come and go but I'm there all the time. It's a lot to learn by heart," he laughs.
Over the years, Talenti have developed a reputation for producing both original Maltese works as well as a large number of translations of foreign works, including several productions of Alfred Palma's translations of Shakespeare. I asked Mr Micallef about the motivation behind the company's choice to focus on such productions. "Experience has taught us that whenever there is a translation from another language into ours - once you have a good translator, at least - people get very interested," he says. "But having the right translator is crucial - it's a profession, and it requires skill, talent and adequate training. A translator can make a play, or he can destroy it."
Mr Micallef is clearly enthusiastic about Maltese language theatre. He speaks passionately about the need to encourage and promote work done for the theatre in Maltese. "It's a pity that in our country, with its small size taken into account, there are no incentives to promote the creation of works we can be proud to call our own. The talent is here - there are some very good Maltese writers," he says, "and with a little encouragement and work Maltese theatre can easily reach the highest level of quality."
• Dejjaqtuni is being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2124 6389, or by fax on 2123 7340 or by e-mail booking@teatrumanoel.com.mt.