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Sigmund was in the Motherland for a short, incognito visit and plodded along to the city built by gentlemen for gentlemen for a night at the theatre…
We were looking forward to seeing where things stand on the local satirical front – in our book, there’s loads of material to lampoon in a thought-provoking manner. We were bitterly disappointed. Seriously unfunny skits gave way to passé numbers followed by pieces lifted from British comedy circa 1970. The general impression was that this was a haphazard cut-and-paste job: Basil Fawlty meets Pierino in a tal-pepe-hamallu interface with a bit of ABBA thrown in as an excuse to dress up in shiny costumes. And fuck me, it’s depressing to see that linguistic hang-ups still provide us with endless barrels of laughs. The mere mention of the word LIBA sent the entire audience into fits of hysterical laughter. Hilarious, innit? One above-average sketch prevented us from asking for our money back but to be fair, the audience seemed to love every minute (“How talented they are, ay?”) and so did the critics who described this uninspiring hodgepodge as “a brilliant collection of comedy sketches (which) proved that (contrary to popular misconception) the Maltese not only know how to laugh at themselves, but they do have a sense of irony after all”.
I guess that in situations like these, one must bow to the principle of supply and demand. As a politician, I know what I’m talking about…
Contenti loro, contenti tutti.
5 responses so far ↓
Reuben Scicluna // October 27, 2008 at 9:30 am |
precizament ghar-ragunijiet li semmejt hawn fuq jien nirrifjuta li mmur nara drammi/kummiedji/fares Maltin it-teatru.
U nghidlek ohra. Jien perswaz li n-nies li kien hemm jidhku bl-”isketches” tas-70ijiet qatt ma kienu rawhom qabel. Naqta rasi.
U ohra. Int politikant. X’aktarx astut ukoll. Imma qed niskanta kif int bqajt imbellah ghax qalu LIBA fuq il-palk. Jien smajt – ghax kif diga ghidtlek, ma mmurx – li taz-ZOO joqtlu lil kulhadd bid-dahk ghax joqoghdu jghidu “ZOBB”, “SORM”, “PASTIZZ” ecc fuq il-palk. Qishom tfal ta’ l-iskola ghadhom kif qalghu l-ewwel Concise Oxfor Dictionary, jew il-Kalepin. Tiftakar kif konna mmorru xkanati ghall-kliem li dak iz-zmien konna nghidulu “pastaz” biex niehdu gost noqoghdu nghidu “iiiiiiiiiiii” u nsaqsu lit-teracher tal-Malti (jew ta’ l-Ingliz xi tfisser dil-klema jew l-ohra?
Iddizapuntajtni li tajt l-eta intellettwali (medja) tal-Malti oghla minn Year 5 (jew Prep 1, skond l-iskola)
Bonello Sigmund // October 27, 2008 at 11:17 am |
F’wahda mill-isketches qaluhom kollha dawk il-kliem. Id-differenza bejn it-Teatrin tal-Puliti u t-Teatrin tal-Poplu hu li tal-Puliti jdahhallek ‘interface’ Ingliz. Per ezempju LIBA giet minn Legal International Bugging Association, SORM minn Super Organisation for the Removal of Matter (jew xi haga hekk, insomma). Ma bqajtx imbellah li qaluhom fuq il-palk. Bqajt imbellah li ma’ kull wahda li qalu, l-udjenza infexxet fi crescendo ta’ dahk. So incredibly funny, istra. Wara xi hamsa jew sitta minnhom, dort fuq siehbi u ghidtlu “Tghid jghiduha GHOXX TA’ BAQRA or will they spare us?”
Sully // October 27, 2008 at 6:06 pm |
Issa qed thallina bil-kurzita. Wara kollox semmewha GHOXX TA BAQRA bhala tip ta climax?
- Reuben Sciberras ghandu ragun – hafna mill-fares huma medjokri – izda hemm ohrajn – bhal dawk imtellghin mill Unifaun li huma tajbin hafna u ma jittrattawx suggetti trivjali u ghoxxati ta kuljum
Bonello Sigmund // October 28, 2008 at 2:31 am |
Le, GHOXX TA’ BAQRA ma ssemmietx. Twila wisq u ma tantx hemm kliem Ingliz jibdew bl-Exxe. Nahseb ghalhekk. Jew forsi ghax baxxa wisq…filwaqt li “il-LIBA” qisha dahlet anki fost il-puliti.
Reuben Scicluna // October 28, 2008 at 9:07 am |
L-ahhar play (miktuba minn Malti/ja) li rajt insejt x’jisimha. Kont mort l-MITP. Kienet xi play ghajjiena dwar x’se jigri minn 31 ta’ Dicembru 1999 u 1 ta’ Jannar 2000.
Ma sparajtx ghal rasi dakinhar ghax bzajt li nqajjem lil ta’ hdejja. U jekk issaqsuni ghala ma rqadtx, inwegibkom li ma rqadtx ghax ta’ hdejja ma hallinix norqod bl-inhir.