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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 MAY 2023 4 THEATRE REVIEW The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey DAWN ADRIENNE SALIBA BILLED as "a broken fairy tale for broken people", The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey, written by Angele and Malcolm Galea, premiered at Spazju Kreattiv this past weekend. The play of- fers audiences a madcap romp through the wonders of the im- agination. Masterfully directed by Philip Leone-Ganado, this adult fairy tale is a multilay- ered story that alternates be- tween two narratives: the first centres around the travails of bell-maker, Magnus Coffinkey (Joseph Zammit), a sensitive man with a literal broken heart who finds himself in the Land of Gloom after falling to his death from a belltower. Along the way, Magnus meets an ar- ray of sumptuous characters in- cluding a mischievous gargoyle, a musical spirit called Harmo- ny, and a cold-hearted milliner (all played by Becky Camilleri). The alternate plot deals with the grief-stricken creators of Coffinkey's tale, a Storyteller and her husband, Jeremy—both of whom find healing, love, and redemption through their artis- tic process. This was the first time that the husband and wife theatre-pow- er-duo co-wrote a show, and the couple was kind enough to de- scribe their process. For Angele, writing together "was a beauti- ful game of ping pong with our creative brains, planning plot points, characters and emo- tional arcs". The show explores the profound theme of stillbirth and grief, and as the couple had experienced a miscarriage in 2008, working on such a piece together was healing. Malcolm further explains, "Owing to the nature of the subject, we felt that it needed a distinct female perspective – from the conduct- ing of the research right to the resolution of the story". Angele adds: "It's a mirror of the both of us at once. Magnus's charac- ter brings both the female and male outlook of such traumas, and portrays the vulnerabilities that needed to come out". As Malcolm finishes, "We wanted to create a piece that could be soothing to parents of babies who were born sleeping – while also giving others an accurate insight of what the couple goes through." The performers' portrayals of their roles were extraordinary. Becky Camilleri performed ac- tor-acrobatics: like a chamele- on, she seamlessly shapeshifted from role to role (and she played eight!!). Her performance as the anguished Storyteller was heart-rendering. Meanwhile, Joseph Zammit's performance was bloodcurdling and evoca- tive. He made the audience gasp in awe more than once with his visceral performance and physical prowess. It was stun- ning watching the chemistry between the two. Throughout the show, the pair made the audience chuckle in breathless laughter, gasp in horror, and shed tears in sorrow—truly, a tour de force. Director Philip Leone-Gana- do employed many innovative techniques in the production. Actors performed in the round and the Storyteller often broke the fourth wall. The set was kept to a minimum, with the main piece, the representation of the bell, taking centre-stage and attractively lit by Chris Gatt. Costumes (Angele Galea) were delightful, with suggestive piec- es that allowed for the inven- tiveness of the actors to shine through. The ethereal piano score and songs (Angele Galea) cast spells. All elements of the theatrical production combined holistically to give the audience a thrilling experience. In an interview, Malcolm Galea sheds light on the na- ture of fairy tales and humanity: "Fairy tales for children have a particular impact; when they hear a fairy tale they learn some- thing about the wolf: there's a fear, there's a horror, there's joy and it shapes the way they think about life sometimes for many, many years to come. The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey is a fairy tale aimed for grownups, so the same wonder and horror that children feel when they hear Little Red Riding Hood will be felt by the audience." All in all, The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey was a rousing, spirit- ed ride for artist and spectator alike. We hope that there are future productions of the dra- ma and more brilliant theatrical productions created by this very talented team. "Inside the Gloom they talked and laughed and sang for many hours, Until outside the sun sank low and set between the flowers." The Trials of Magnus Coffin- key is written by Angele Galea & Malcolm Galea, directed by Philip Leone-Ganado and per- formed by Becky Camilleri and Joseph Zammit. It will be on at Spazju Kreattiv from 12 to 14 May 2023.