In a few days’ time, the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali will host the world premiere of Brad Birch’s Game, a play about life, loyalty, family and football. Iggy Fenech chats to actors Stephen Oliver and Malcolm Galea to find out more about the summer’s most unusual theatrical offering.
The first time I heard about Game was over a coffee with producer Adrian Buckle and director Toni Attard, who were, at the time, working on an adaption of Henrik Ibsen’s classic, An Enemy of the People by Brad Birch.
“The British playwright is now working on a play about football,” Adrian had told me. “It will premiere here in Malta just in time for the World Cup.”
A few months down the line and, the much anticipated moment has arrived: Birch’s Game, set in Malta and having a hero with a Maltese name, will be premiered here on home turf in just a few days’ time.
“The play is set against the backdrop of football and corruption, and explores the moral choices a son must make when his successful father, the manager of the team, dies,” reveals actor Stephen Oliver, who will be playing the part of Peter, the President of the football club.”
As the story unfolds, Peter reveals to Christopher (and audiences) the real legacy left behind by the former’s father, who, up until his death, was the coach of the football club Chris is now managing. With match fixing scandals threatening the future of the club, Peter himself is after much more than just ensuring the truth comes out.
Indeed, like in many other plays, Stephen is playing the ‘baddie’. Yet, as he says himself: “Peter is a cunning and very subtle manipulator, a role which gives me, as an actor, a huge scope for exploring not only what is said, but also the non-verbal elements.”
Game is not solely a play about football but, rather, a piece that interweaves the world’s favourite sport with situations we all find ourselves in
As Chris faces the hardest choice of his life – whether to protect his father’s name or do the right thing for the club he loves so much – it also becomes clear that Game is not solely a play about football but, rather, a piece that interweaves the world’s favourite sport with situations we all find ourselves in.
“Game is about facing up to responsibilities and the demons hidden beneath the surface of a dysfunctional family,” explains Malcolm, who will be taking up the role of Christopher – a rare occurrence for the actor who is normally a comedy favourite.
“In fact, the story deals mainly with family, loss and dark secrets, and I must say that Birch has done a great job of portraying an intricate web of complex emotional struggles.”
In order to truly capture the spirit of the characters within Birch’s original script, the actors, under the direction of Italian director Lisa Ferlazzo Natoli, have been exploring the character in great detail, including movement and gesticulation.
“Lisa is a ball of energy and highly intuitive,” continues Malcolm. “She has a deep understanding of theatre that is very inspiring and it’s been quite an education watching her work and being directed by her. She also comes complete with her incredibly knowledgeable assistant, Alessandro, and Olivia, her faithful dog that follows her around everywhere.”
“Her techniques take me back to drama school and the early work I did in my career in the UK. It is hugely refreshing,” Stephen interjects. “We have not been bogged down in a script, either, and that’s wonderful. Also, the cast is hugely diverse and brings so many different skills and elements to the play.”
Joining Stephen and Malcolm on the ‘stage’ of Game – which is being produced by Teatru Malta, in collaboration with Unifaun Theatre Production, the Malta Football Association and the British Council Malta – will be Erica Muscat, Julia Camilleri and Davide Tucci.
I say ‘stage’ because Game will be held within the Trophy Room of the National Stadium in Ta’ Qali, with the football pitch and the stadium serving as backdrops to help immerse the audience into the story. Even so, the play is set in a restaurant at night, so there is more to the staging than one may first think. “It’s going to be a night of surprises, soul searching, and ghosts, as the spirit of football is tainted with something seriously sinister,” says Malcolm.
“This is also the first time that this new play by Birch will be performed anywhere in the world, so audiences will be able to see something that they cannot see anywhere else.”
Taking place between June 15 and 18, 23 and 24, Game is a play that promises to be unmissable for football fans and theatregoers alike… Particularly as we’ll be bang in the middle of World Cup fever at the time.
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