With Unifaun Theatre’s latest production, The Acrobat, opening this weekend, Jo Caruana chats to Marco Michel, one of the international award-winning cast members behind this exciting and original piece of theatre.
The words ‘vampire’ and ‘comedy’ don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand for most folk – but they do in the world of theatre producer and scriptwriter Adrian Buckle.
In fact, Buckle – who is known for his varied style and often-controversial topics – found himself captivated by author Agnes Moon’s book The Acrobat (a story about vampires) and decided to turn it into a darkly comedic and adventure-packed play for local audiences.
The challenge, however, came when Buckle started to think about casting it. And, due to the adult content within the script, he found himself looking overseas for actors to take on most of the roles.
One of the actors he discovered is Marco Michel, who is originally from Switzerland. Michel recently flew down to join the rest of the cast – which includes performers from New York, the UK, Hungary and Malta – to prepare for the show’s debut performances this weekend.
Although pretty much still at the start of his career, Michel has already enjoyed a number of highlights, including receiving an award in New York last year, while attending the world’s largest theatre festival – the United Solo Theatre Festival – on the legendary 42nd Street. His performance was selected from among 130 productions and he received the award for the Best International One Man Show.
“That was very exciting,” he smiles. “Now I am thrilled to be here in Malta, and to be premiering The Acrobat.”
Adapted for the stage by Buckle, The Acrobat follows the rags-to-riches story of a professional thief with dozens of burglaries to his credit, who finds himself trapped in the enormous abode of an incredibly rich and mysterious vampire. Michel has taken on the lead role of Vincent de Saint-Bonnet – the vampire leader who is as seductive as he is lethal.
“It’s a very exciting part,” Michel continues. “Vincent is 400 years old, which means he has seen a lot and almost nothing can shake him or really touch him. He’s very controlled and knows about his manipulative and seductive forces. However, at the same time, he is deeply hurt (just like most of us) and is looking for true love. That is something I can easily relate to.”
An intense play with great characters that don’t shy away from sensuality or violence
That said, Michel didn’t just fall into the role and, instead, has had to do quite a lot of work to get ready for it. “I have been reading a lot about vampires,” he quips. “I wanted to know all about how the legend was invented, and to find out what it reveals about our human nature.
“I have discovered that a lot of it has to do with fear: the fear of the undead, as well as the fear of passion and sexual desire. It’s a basic human principle to externalise what we cannot deal with internally, and that gives the play its psychological background. Then, of course, I also read the script over and over again to give myself a sense of the character and to understand Vincent’s relationship with the other characters.”
He explains that the creative process locally is pretty similar to the one he has experienced in other parts of the world, although he stresses that the experience has helped him to grow in a number of ways.
“Working at home is great because we’re surrounded by things and people we know,” he says.
“That’s nice but, at the same time, can be very limiting, as the way we are perceived is our constraint. When we are away from those things and the people that define us, we tend to be more open and more likely to discover other facets of ourselves, and life. And the creative process undoubtedly benefits from that too.”
It was with this in mind that he accepted the role, coupled with the fact that the character is a very interesting one, with a clear mindset and fear of being alone. “Oh, and it’s always beautiful to combine work and travel,” Michel continues. “Travelling is something I always look forward to. Escaping winter in northern Europe was a bonus and I was very excited to discover a new island: Malta. I haven’t been here long but I would already love to come back.”
Now, Michel looks forward to his next new experience – performing to a Maltese audience. “It’ll be fun!” he grins. “It’s always nice to see life reflected on stage. This story is a classic example of a hero’s journey: when a painful event forces us to step out of our comfort zone, where we have to fight insecurities, be confronted by our own mortality and need to overcome an obstacle, only to return home as someone new. That’s the basic principle of how to integrate hard and difficult things in our life. And, as we all know, the comfort zone is a beautiful place – but nothing grows there.
“The result? This is an intense play with great characters that don’t shy away from sensuality or violence... and comedy.”
The Acrobat (Blood Ties) by Unifaun Theatre Productions will be performed from February 9 to 24 at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta. The production is supported by the MAF Project Fund of the Arts Council Malta. Tickets are available online.
www.kreattivita.org