Dù Theatre and Spazju Kreattiv explore the complex relationship between family dynamics, social class and politics, writes André Delicata.
Theatre
Repubblika Immakulata
St James Cavalier
I was hopeful as I sat down in the theatre. Since Dù Theatre’s hiatus, I had not seen a local production which proved as technically strong as their previous fare. They did not disappoint. Simone Spiteri’s new play, Repubblika Immakulata, which she also directed, is a great example of her scripting abilities as well as her directorial good sense and creativity. Repubblika Immakulata has a strong political stance woven into the dark humour of its setting.
Spiteri’s forte has always been incisive character studies embedded in the local sociocultural scenario. But this new play has the added benefit of having an environmental and political critique of the underhanded, opportunistic and often morally and ethically dubious manner in which things are done in our country.
Chief narrator and breaker of the fourth wall, is André Agius’s Anon – the unnamed, and gender-neutral fourth sibling of the family in question. He is largely invisible to his three older siblings, Franklin played very sensitively by André Mangion, Petra, in an emotionally charged performance by the inimitable Magdalena van Kuilenburg, and David, ably played by Mark Mifsud.
The three older siblings are diametrically opposed, and while they respect each other, deep down, they still clash on a number of petty matters and more serious ones which they tend to sweep under the carpet.
It offers us a very honest look in the mirror
It is Agius’s little sibling who tries to both calm the situation when things get too heated, or conversely, comments in a very honest and critical manner about his brothers’ and sister’s attitudes, motivations and reactions – to each other and to the hand that life has dealt them. Interestingly, Kristjana Casha showed her versatility by playing both David’s snobby girlfriend Hannah and his brother Franklin’s ex-girlfriend Cherokeeh.
The names reveal quite a bit about the social-climbing lawyer David, who Mark Mifsud played extremely well. David is the golden boy of the family, adored by their father and grandmother, both recently deceased, and looked up to by his much-less educated sister, Petra, who trapped herself in a relationship with Ryan Cutajar’s Jean Paul when she was still 14 years old and now feels that backtracking out of it would leave her on the shelf. She has invested too much to let her impending wedding go up in flames.
The play takes places over her wedding weekend, which coincides with the village feast and the general election, which David is contesting. He has the backing of Hannah’s contractor father, Albert (Pierre Stafrace) whose shady dealings and money will guarantee David a place in parliament. Stafrace also plays the siblings’ gay Canadian emigre uncle, Horace, back for his niece’s wedding and his dead brother’s inheritance. Stafrace’s experienced doubling makes both his characters credible and important to the plot development.
Romualdo Moretti’s simply but effective set design, coupled with Moritz Zavan Stoeckle’s excellent lighting design, helped Spiteri’s vision for a sharp criticism of the contemporary stranglehold that corruption and personal tensions have over our country. Tim Ellis and Malcolm Demanuele’s sound design certainly drove it home.
Repubblika Immakulata doesn’t only push us to ask the hard questions about ourselves, our relationships and our attitude towards civil and ethical responsibility, but it offers us a very honest look in the mirror. Who are we as Maltese in 2019? Our republic is far from immaculate, in spite of our denial.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dù’s new play not just for its excellent and well-chosen cast, but also for its fresh outlook on what it means to be Maltese in this new era of uncertainty masked in progress and economic expansion. A terrific play and certainly not one to be missed.
Repubblika Immakulata is being staged at St James Cavalier today and tomorrow at 8pm and Sunday at 4 and 8pm.