• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Published Works
  • Privacy Policy
Food • Arts • Fashion

Food • Arts • Fashion

  • Home
  • FOOD
  • ARTS
    • BOOKS
      • Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija
    • THEATRE
    • MUSIC
  • FASHION
  • NEWS
You are here: Home / THEATRE / Agnes of God: Ever-Relevant

Agnes of God: Ever-Relevant

December 4, 2020 by Ramona Depares Leave a Comment

Agnes of God

Photos: Deacon Xuereb

A play that taps into humanity’s intense yearning to believe in something bigger than ourselves.

That innate longing to believe in something bigger than ourselves, that most common human emotion that we all, at some point in our lives, feel – no matter how much it goes against the grain for many.

This yearning for something to believe in is precisely what Agnes of God, currently running at the Valletta Campus Theatre, taps into with an intensity that leaves the viewer reeling, stimulating questions and discussions even within the most committed of atheists,

But I’ll go back to the beginning. Directed by Tyrone Grima, the play focuses around three characters – Dr Martha Livingstone, played by Simone Ellul; Mother Miriam Ruth, played by Isabel Warrington, and Agnes, played by Kyra Lautier, who is quite the revelation.

The action takes the audience through the process as Agnes undergoes a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether or not she is responsible for the murder of her newborn. Agnes of God is an intense piece of drama that sees the three actors giving us the whole gamut of emotions, transporting us with them as their loves, fears and passions become ours.

Agnes of God

It must have been a gruelling experience for the three actors, both mentally and physically, but never once did any of them waver, or break the spell under which they held an entire audience.

Grima cleverly takes a minimalistic directorial approach, allowing the script and acting to do all the talking rather than distracting us with extras and effects. The stage is bare, the effective use of lighting helping strengthen the already brutal atmosphere.

Lautier makes for a mesmerising Agnes, alternating conveying extreme innocence and extreme creepiness, particularly when in the grip of her visions. Warrington and Ellul play off each of their characters wonderfully. They are the ultimate nemesis, polar opposites in their beliefs and their lives. Or are they? As the play progresses, and the complicated relationship between them deepens, we start to wonder whether – perhaps – they are but different sides of the same coin.

It is very easy to understand why John Pielmeier’s script has been as successful as it has – it tackles a topic that even today remains highly relevant, while providing perfect theatre fodder for those who enjoy continuing the debate even after leaving theatre. This is not popcorn entertainment, to be consumed and promptly forgotten. Agnes of God will undoubtedly provoke countless discussions and internal musings long after the play has ended.

Rather surprisingly, the script is not without its lighter moments, with some beautifully-crafted one-liners that provoke laughter. The characters played by Ellul and Warrington respectively are wonderfully complex, and each actor rises to the occasion wonderfully, imbuing each role with depth.

In a country like Malta, where the belief system is so particularly structured and where religion and faith is obsessed over by practicing Catholics, lapsed Catholics, atheists and agnostics alike, Agnes of God will undoubtedly leave an even greater impact.

Every theatre review must necessarily include a COVID019 consideration nowadays. Agnes of God fares extremely well on the safety factors: the audience is seated apart and is only allowed in at staggered intervals after a temperature check. Seats are sanitised, and the theatre space has fresh air ventilation. Obviously, masks are a must. I was satisfied on all fronts and felt as safe as anyone can feel nowadays.

Agnes of God is produced by Christian Colombo and Tyrone Grima and runs on December 4, 5, 6 and 6 at Valletta Theatre Campus, with performances starting at 7.30PM. Seating is limited for obvious reasons. For more Maltese theatre reviews, check out From Rona With Love, this different take on Comedy of Errors, or Jesse Cave’s Sunrise.

Filed Under: THEATRE Tagged With: Agnes of God, Isabel Warrington, Malta Theatre, Tyrone Grima

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Theatre Highlights

ġiraffa-ħarbet-minn-kastilja

A cutting spoof of the inner workings of government

madc-wait-until-dark

Excellent pacing and direction by director Tyrone Grima

Food Highlights

bettas-culinary-flavours

A gorgeous foodie levent at a truly unique location

Nduja Osteria Valletta

Close your eyes, enjoy & pretend you’re dining in Italy

Fashion Highlights

Mark Mallia

A re-interpretation of the white crow

Mon Eclat

New Love – Mon Eclat Jewellery to help you shine

Books Highlights

marta-marta-loranne-vella

Oppression in a patriarchal society

Francesco Grech kollox jeħel magħna

Looking forward to seeing this writer’s work mature

Arts Highlights

le-iva-austin-camilleri

A solo collection of works that keep you questioning

darren-tanti

A study in bold strokes and fiery reds that made me dream

News Highlights

A mesmerizing interpretation of Dante’s Hell

hell-and-exile-three-palaces

An immersive and multi-faceted journey

Footer

  • Home
  • FOOD
  • ARTS
    • BOOKS
      • Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija
    • THEATRE
    • MUSIC
  • FASHION
  • NEWS

Copyright Ramona Depares © 2022

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}