Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma. Photo credits Elisa von Brockdorff and Neil Grech.
When Francis Ebejer created the character of Ġaħan, he probably had no clue that this Ġaħan would become such an iconic figure, intrinsically part of Malta’s pop culture. Since Ebejer brought him into being in 1986, the identity of Ġaħan has become independent of the original script, taking on new life as cartoon strips, a colloquial saying, a Facebook page…
Now, he’s found yet another new chapter with Teatru Malta’s Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma, an adaptation that celebrates Ebejer’s vision while creating a new theatre production that’s more apt for modern times. Below, you’ll find all the details.
Table of Contents
Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma production details
| Play | Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma |
| My rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 (4.5/5) |
| Writer | Francis Ebejer, adapted by Sean Buhagiar |
| Director | Sean Buhagiar |
| Producer | Teatru Malta |
| Stage Manager | Sefora Mannino |
| Production Manager | Rowena Zammit |
| Music | Noah Fabri |
| Wardrobe Manager | Luke Dimech |
| Costumes & Makeup | Klonn u s-Sinjorina |
| Cast | Paul Portelli, Jacob Piccinino, Michela Farrugia, Rebecca Camilleri, Philip Leone-Ganado, Sandie von Brockdorff, Christian Scicluna, Charlotte Grech, Mario Micallef, Lee-N Abela, Steve Hili, Ron Briffa, Victor Aquilina, Andre Theuma, Lucija Grech, Ken Tabone, Kean Schembri, Sara Cortis, Aaliyah Formosa, Josue Formosa, Albert Garzia, Curtis Lares, Sunny Mohammed, Salome Camilleri, Philip Spiteri, Raymond Gauci |
| Assistant director & Dramaturg | Miguel Formosa |
| Intimacy director | Simone Ellul |
| Vocal coach | Sean Borg |
| Dates | August 30 at 21:00, August 31 at 21:00 |
| Content warnings | Minor nudity, language, flashing lights, intimations of suicide |
| Venue | Fort St Elmo |
| Duration | 2.30 hours |
| Language | Maltese |
Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma narrative
I tend to think of Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma as Malta’s answer to Ugo Fantozzi, the character that was created by Paolo Villaggio. Fantozzi’s excess of misfortunes are cleverly used to satirise the average, oppressed man in society, particularly within the corporate environment. Ġaħan, instead, uses extreme foolishness to reflect the often more subtle foolishness of regular society.
On the surface, Ebejer’s is a simple tale of a baħnan (idiot), set against the backdrop of a (perhaps) doomed love story. Reading between the lines, it’s a pretty damning commentary on Maltese cultural norms. In Teatru Malta’s Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma, the title character has evolved to reflect today’s society.
Sean Buhagiar’s adaptation seamlessly blends the legacy elements with a more modern take that includes genuinely funny references to Love Island, fillers, and even good ol’ Francine, her of MCAST fame. Buhagiar manages to use that time-honoured panto technique of throwing in multiple topical references without actually descending into panto humour. On the contrary, the narrative stays firmly in the tragi-comic camp where it belongs – which makes it all the more effective, of course.
I won’t reveal too much about the plot line. Most of you know it already, and revealing more of the contemporary takes will just ruin the experience for those of you who haven’t been. Suffice it to say that the adaptation rises to the expectations imposed on it by the original. It cuts deep, and it certainly won’t leave you indifferent. The script itself could have done with stricter pruning – some of the scenes were needlessly protracted, affecting pacing and leading to a challenging run time that exceeded the two and a half hour mark.
Direction, light, sound, and staging
Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma is directed by Sean Buhagiar, with Miguel Formosa as assistant director and dramaturg. Buhagiar has created a spectacular vision that uses the entire parade ground within Fort St Elmo, including the roof and the church of St Anne. My expectations for the extraordinary were set within the first two minutes of the play, when we watch Ġaħan’s dramatic entry (descent?) into the grounds.
Buhagiar sets out to give us a larger-than-life production, that’s almost a stylistic spin-off from Teatru Malta’s earlier Lupu/Nagħġa, which also combined satire and social commentary with a multi-layered set. And he succeeds. His direction takes the production to extremes, weaving together drones, moving set pieces, plumes of stage smoke and circus-inspired movement and props to conjure an unpredictable spectacle that kept the audience on its toes.
Some elements felt like they needed more contextualising. A gorgeous carnival float was wheeled in and promptly abandoned on the side, as carnival celebrations took place centre stage. Towards the end, a nude man on a bicycle randomly crosses the main area. While visually intriguing, and contributing further to the circus-like element, their presence was puzzling.
Buhagiar’s Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma is bold, and Romualdo Moretti’s set matches this boldness, extending beyond the visible to incorporate hidden spaces and elevated structures where simultaneous action takes place. What we don’t see, as an audience, is just as important as the action that’s unfolding in front of our eyes. The constant presence of Tariq’s Sysyphean movements on the roof is perhaps one of the best examples.
Sound was patchy, especially at the start, making it difficult to pick up what’s being said in the introductory scenes. The same certainly can’t be said about light design. Chris Gatt’s work here is a triumph, not only complementing the action on stage but transforming St Elmo into a living Binġemma, the projections on the walls of the fortress creating an effect akin to a fever dream.
Music and costumes
Noah Fabri’s original score takes all the heartbreak, the comedy, the silliness and the range of emotions that’s Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma and translates it into soundwaves. With a single note, Fabri lets us know that something funny is about to happen – another note signals mischief, and so on. Their work boasts the narrative clarity of a silent film soundtrack, guiding the audience through shifts in mood and action with remarkable precision. Equally masterful were Klonn u s-Sinjorina’s costumes and make-up, particularly for Ġaħan himself.
The cast
This was indeed a cast of titans, starting with Paul Portelli in the role of Ġaħan. He reveals hidden depths to this Ġaħan, who can be as creepy as he is funny, as cutting as he is maligned. Portelli’s movements almost lack humanity and he emerges as the puppet-master that Ebejer would certainly have approved of. His eeriness and other-wordliness at times reminded me of his role from Dik is-Siġra f’Nofs ta’ Triq, another Teatru Malta production.
Jacob Piccinino is an excellent Richard, delivering a strong portrayal of a character in deep emotional turmoil, navigating the arc from romance to tragedy and back to joy with convincing depth. Michela Farrugia (Selima) complements this with a superbly emotive performance that is at once ethereal and grounded in humanity.
The rest of the ensemble more than rises to the occasion. My only quibble is with the character of Richard’s mother, portrayed by Charlotte Grech. The shrill approach may have worked for a piece set in earlier times, when female characters, especially when Maltese, were expected to have this type of profile. I felt that this approach was doing the character an injustice.
Nitpicking aside, every single performer excelled. The production called for a significant amount of movement, and Rebecca Camilleri’s choreography yielded beautifully fluid results that mesmerised.
Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma, by Teatru Malta – worth watching?
Is the show worth the ticket price? Undoubtedly. I believe that this scale of theatre production has not yet been attempted in Malta, especially with such outstanding results. The sheer magic of seeing St Elmo transformed into a different world is enough, but there’s so much more than that.
Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma is a wonderful example of high ambition that pays off, thanks to an extremely cohesive – and well-equipped – cast and crew that were at peak performance.
Kudos to Teatru Malta, and to Buhagiar, for having the vision and the will to risk this. I remember one of my earlier interviews with him, where he specifically stated that, as national theatre, Teatru Malta has a responsibility to take risks. He has certainly lived true to his promise with this production, and the risk has paid off handsomely with a show that breaks new ground on the local theatre landscape.
Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out Reviews
I received no payment for this Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma review and I was offered press tickets. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the producers had no input/control over what I wrote. There are no affiliate links contained within this page.To learn more about my policies and my reviewing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page. To better understand what the my rating means, check out the details of the star system.
