Lemonhead's latest production was an ambitious one that was hugely appreciated by the audience. Seeing that the script was character-based, the director made sure that the audience wouldn't get distracted by a full-blown set, too many props or gadgets. In fact the stage was almost bare, allowing different planes for the actors upon which to roam, and exploit. (I liked the set immensely.)

It's never easy to direct crowds on stage, but Agius, with the help of his assistant Tanti, managed to instil colour in each and every one of the characters. We hardly ever noticed any cast members out of character, even when not delivering lines.

Obviously, Christian Debattista and Christine Saliba looked the most impressive, as they had the bulk of the lines. Christine delivered a very good performance, especially when one considers her very young age (10 years old). She understood her character well, and performed all the emotions and mannerisms fluently. It was only on rare occasions that we heard her lines 'delivered' rather than 'performed'.  Similarly, Christian gave a remarkable and consistent performance. However I felt that he veered slightly out of character towards the end, as the crying and desperation were over the top.  Nonetheless, it was an interesting idea to partner little Christine with 16-year old Christian, as the former's commanding attitude manifested itself more because of their contrasting physique.

Jack, the leader of the scout group, played by Joeaby Vassallo, was cool and distinguished.  However I felt that there were scenes that required a stronger presence than the one delivered.  His girlfriend (Diane), played by Gabrielle Gauci, upstaged him on some occasions when all eyes had to be on him.  For her part, Gaby managed an excellent performance as she was in character all the time. Gauci gave a three-dimensional interpretation of her tom-boyish role. Her dainty friend Rachel, was played by Randel Curmi, who also gave a very good performance. She maintained her prim-and-proper appearance even in the dire circumstances that the children found themselves in towards the end.

Joan (played by Abigail Borg) was a difficult character to understand and interpret. However, Borg managed to convey a particular psychotic look and feel, especially during her soliloquies, that rendered her performance credible. Maybe what she lacked was presence during instances when she was on stage but not delivering lines.  Otis Zammit played a joyful and bubbly Maurice in a very convincing way. He was the one that relieved the ever-increasing tension with his hyper, excited antics. There were times where he went slightly over the top, probably due to the audience's positive response to his character.  In such a situation it is easy to succumb to the temptation of feeding the audience more. Clayton Camilleri played Roger naturally and looked more confident during the rough scenes.

Carla Florian, who played Raisa, gave a good interpretation of a simple girl who might have been the ideal companion for Maurice.  She was always close to Nathalie, a lazy and egotistical character played by Roxanne Cole. Together, Raisa and Nathalie, managed to bring a good balance to the whole picture, though at times I felt that their character was not fully developed.

For his directional debut, Chrysandes Agius did a tremendously good job. It's not easy to direct young actors and actresses, going through the characterization, meditation and the works.  The script, penned by Noel Tanti, was alive and very deep, even though I felt that it could have been longer. The performance lasted only an hour (break not included). It could have easily gone on for another twenty minutes, in which time we could have witnessed more of the children's plight, their characters and the relationships.  Everything seemed to happen a bit too fast.

All in all it was a very good and enjoyable evening.

CAST & CREW

RALPH - CHRISTIAN DEBATTISTA

SHORTY - CHRISTINE SALIBA

JACK - JOEABY VASSALLO

JOAN - ABIGAIL BORG

DIANE - GABY GAUCI

MAURICE - OTIS ZAMMIT

RACHEL - RENDEL CURMI

NATHALIE - ROXANNE COLE

RAISA - CARLA FLORIAN

ROGER – CLAYTON CAMILLERI

Production Team Secretary ORIETTA MASINI

Costume Managers  ELAINE ELLUL & SARAH SPITERI

Secretary to the Director VANESSA SCERRI

Stage Manager MARIO SCICLUNA

Props Manager KOREN SCICLUNA

Lights JASON MASINI

Make Up Artist ALISON GRECH

PR Manager MICHELLE ZERAFA - NOEL TANTI

Writer / Assistant Director NOEL TANTI

Director CHRYSANDER AGIUS

Production BRYAN MUSCAT - LOUISE MUSCAT