A man introduces his family to the audience. A story begins to unfold – the courtship of his grandparents, complete with chaperon, his grandmother’s trauma after their nuptial night, the hazards of World War II and the “agony and the ecstasy” of their artist son.

This is the premise of the latest offering from the Unifaun Theatre Company called Ritratti Sepia – Daħk Mill-Passat, written by prolific author Trevor Zahra.

Unifaun founder Adrian Buckle says the play offers some of our finest acting talent under the direction of one of Malta’s most accomplished directors, John Suda, and calls Ritratti Sepja “24-carat fun”. He says that the play is best described as a revue of different scenes taken from a family tree:

“It is written in perfect Trevor Zahra style – tongue-in-cheek humour, with more serious highlights, leading to a feel-good finale. We see how grandma was convinced to marry grandpa on the basis of his big bushy mustache, how difficult it is for a loving couple to make love in a small house filling up with children; surviving the war by living under a robust table. The author guides us through his memories, each a sepia picture from the past, as the actors act out the pictures for us.”

This is Unifaun’s third collaboration with Mr Zahra, as the play is a stage adaptation of a selection of short stories from his book Sepja. According to Mr Buckle, people who enjoyed their previous collaborations, Minn Wara ż-Żipp and Is-Surmast, are bound to enjoy this production.

“I love working with Trevor,” smiles Mr Buckle. “He is a sharp and witty writer and there are not many of his ilk around. Very few write comedy like Trevor and no one reads comedy as well as John Suda, so it seemed to me like a marriage made in heaven. When Trevor gave me the book to read, I immediately realised that many stories had the potential to work wonders on stage. We worked through the scenes together – him writing, me doing the suggesting and John giving advice, and I believe that we have a wonderful script that is both comic and touching.”

I asked Mr Zahra whether he was in any way apprehensive about adapting his book into a stage play.

“When a literary work shifts from the printed word to the stage, there’s always the risk that some shades and hues evaporate during the process. But there’s also the chance that new meanings and interpretations are achieved. I try to erase the memory of the original work created as a short story, and consider it as an entirely new stage production. With people like John Suda and Adrian Buckle at the helm, I’m confident that the play will work just fine. I’m sure that when the curtains fall, the audience will walk out of the theatre with a great sense of fulfilment and with total conviction that it was money well spent!”

Actors in the play include Mary Rose Mallia as Grandma, the real brains and heart of the family, and Michael Tabone who plays Grandpa, who must juggle love-making sessions with trombone playing. Other roles will be interpreted by Ian Fenech, Larissa Bonaci, Maria Buckle and ­Christian Scicluna. John Suda himself plays the role of the author/narrator.

• The play is being staged at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall at the University of Malta on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be obtained from St James Cavalier by phone on 2122 3200, by e-mail: bookings@sjcav.org or online: www.sjcav.org. More information may be obtained from www.unifauntheatre.com.