Theatre
Osama the Hero
St James Cavalier

In times like ours, diversity is a trait that should be encouraged, but being different, for whatever reason, still instils terror in people who are afraid of “otherness” – of what they do not know. It’s bad enough being an angst-ridden, confused teenager who is wise beyond one’s years, but add family neglect and the social label of “school weirdo” and you have the makings of a social pariah of the housing estate kind.

Dennis Kelly’s Osama the Hero has a controversial enough title in itself and the public will be excused for thinking that it concerns the glorification of Osama Bin Laden. Instead it is the eponymous title of young Gary’s school project – an essay/presentation about heroes, in which Gary, played very sensitively by Luke Farrugia, attempts to put across his ideas to his class, much to the mockery of his fellow students and his teachers’ shock and disgust. The play uses this initial concept of an intelligent teenager thinking outside the box, who tries to explain that heroism is subjective and that even the most hated and infamous historical figures had their following; as the starting point of a much darker commentary on humanity and its degeneration.

Thus, Gary himself becomes the anti-hero of the play and the ultimate victim of the other characters. His neighbourhood is already not particularly safe, but when it turns against him because the residents begin to consider him as being a dangerous individual harbouring terrorist sympathies, he begins to fear for his life – and well he should. A random act of vandalism to a garage leaves a girl dead, turning him into the scapegoat. This is the start of the degeneration of humanity in the piece. Caught up in their own tragic, petty little lives, Mark, played solidly by Joe Pace, Louise, interpreted by Davinia Hamilton and Karl Cassar’s Francis, kidnap and torture Gary.

I enjoyed the sense of urgency that Mr Pace gave to Mark – this worked well in contrast to the other characters’ sense of confusion and ennui. Ms Hamilton’s Louise, however, did come across as patchy – forceful at times and weak at others, making for an uneven performance, while Mr Cassar was about as able to pull off a chav as I am to dance the Dying Swan. It was a character which lost me because it was so flaky. I found myself becoming rather disengaged with their monologues at times due to this inability to connect well with the audience.

The script is not easy to follow because it is quite disjointed in its reflective parts – made up mostly out of monologues, which almost superimpose themselves over each other, the flow is often interrupted and only reaches a climax in the most brutal scene when these three characters converge on Gary and terrorise him themselves, in a very credible and animalistic manner. What was shocking was that the violence was extreme and worrying because it was an individualistic sort of violence – it lacked the pack/mob mentality which often leads to the usual lawless anarchy devoid of logic and which undermines societal value systems. It was each man for himself, with everybody conflicted internally and plagued by different motivations. These are indeed damaged characters, who ironically think that Gary is the one who is messed up because he has the vision that they lack.

Mr Farrugia’s Gary was rounded and nicely balanced – earnest in just the right amounts, although I do have one concern: while his voice is fine in tone, accent and diction, its pitch often sounds a touch boyish from one production to the other; but was perfectly justifiable for this role.

Undoubtedly, his ability to connect with his character’s internal workings was what distinguished his performance as one in top form. The other teenage character, Mandy, is Gary’s classmate and is played convincingly well by Larissa Bonaci – in a portrayal of a girl with daddy issues who is having a sexless affair with the much older Mark. She concludes the play reflecting upon the futility of life’s conflict.

Osama the Hero is not your usual MADC fare and is much more typical of other companies’ psychologically charged, often visceral pieces. Erin Stewart Tanti’s direction made the most of a rather convoluted script and Romualdo Moretti’s set design coupled with Chris Gatt’s lighting completed the play’s dark atmosphere. Certainly an interesting but heavy piece for the weekend – its one highlight is that its depressive tone will make one want to unwind with friends over a glass of wine afterwards.

• Osama the Hero is also being staged on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.