What a relief to end the month and begin a new one with so many upcoming productions - finally! While the online format leaves much to be desired, it is undoubtedly refreshing to watch local creatives come together (despite everything) and do what they do best.
Kicking off the summer season is Simon Bartolo's Il-Pozittivi, a Maltese comedy tackling HIV and the stigma surrounding it in Malta, all the while taking audiences on an emotional rollercoaster up until the very end. What is commendable is how Bartolo and the cast, under the focused direction of Toni Attard, tackled the subject without any spectacle or shock value - they unapologetically laid it all out, with no hesitation (as they should). Romualdo Moretti's production design, further elevated by Chris Gatt's lighting design, proved to hold its own without overpowering the actors.
This production's cast was truly powerful and balanced in their well-rounded characters. Undoubtedly, the amount of time the cast and crew spent preparing and rehearsing (all the while having to postpone) paid off in their performance. We have iconic veterans with Ray Calleja and Josette Ciappara, as well as promising talent from Stephen Mintoff, Benjamin Abela, Claire Agius, and activist Chris Vincent.
One would think that, it being a production that strives to educate about HIV, the characters who are HIV+ would run the risk of being superficial or akin to a lecturer. Instead, we are presented with Susan (Ciappara), who puts the positive in being an HIV positive woman (gravely overlooked in the discussion), Karl (Calleja) as an older gay man who withdraws within himself, and Marcus (Vincent) who is open about being HIV+ and strives to find love. Notably, these characters are based on the stories of HIV+ Maltese people, which only makes some of the emotional moments and stigmatization hit harder.
Truly a joy to watch Claire Agius as Emily, David's (Abela) mother who prepares herself for anything, especially for the moment her son comes out to her, just to prove she is the best mother ever (albeit his "coming out" moment to her wasn't all too joyful). David and Axel (Mintoff) are the type of supportive friends anyone would love to have; the first scene where David picks up Axel from a bus stop after a chemsex party, and almost immediately manages to cheer him up - it was truly heartwarming to watch.
Overall, I think this production was quite strong in its attempt to raise awareness about HIV+ people. The ending made me laugh out of shock for a moment, but I think the unrealistic connections between the characters, while portraying real stories was very clever on Bartolo's part. Personally, the lack of hearing other people's laughter was sorely missed (but that's the sour consequence of viewing a perfomance online).
Il-Pozittivi is available to watch until 30th June, so be sure to buy a ticket, hunker down, and be prepared to laugh and reassess your perspective (I know I did!)