The warped world of big business comes under the spotlight in Ben Elton’s controversial comedy Gasping which is being produced by Mellow Drama at St James Cavalier next month. To find out more about the play, Josanne Cassar spoke to three of the cast members, and asked them a few questions about their attitudes towards money
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John Montanaro
John Montanaro’s character, Sandy, is a very ambitious one. His career is very important to him, and he wants to reach the top quickly. His job is more important to him than friends and love. In short he is a complete **** licker.
What attracted you most to this script by Ben Elton?
“When I first read the script I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s my favourite type of humour, British and very witty, based mostly on words rather than slapstick. The idea of the story is very original, but so close to reality it’s scary.”
How much can you relate to the greedy corporate world which Elton describes in this play?
“The business world he describes is a reality.”
Do you think the yuppie lifestyle in the play is something we can easily identify with in Malta?
“I’m not sure we have reached that stage here in Malta, however that is where we are heading.”
This is very much a character-driven play which relies on the dialogue rather than too many props or action... do you prefer this kind of scripts?
“I just love comedy, be it slapstick or a dialogue-based play. As long as the script and cast are good and people laugh, anything goes for me.”
What is your own attitude towards money, e.g. how important is it to you, are you a spender or a saver?
“Money does not buy you happiness, but it bloody well helps.”
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Alan Montanaro
Alan Montanaro plays Philip, a bit of a sycophant who genuinely loves the company he works for and dedicates his life to it. He is the brains behind a new business initiative that reaps billions of pounds for the company. As the play progresses, Philip develops a backbone and takes some pretty definitive, drastic action.
What attracted you most to this script by Ben Elton?
“Initially, Ben Elton. I’m a fan. I’ve read all his books and I consider him to be something of a genius.”
How much can you relate to the greedy corporate world which Elton describes in this play?
“First of all, I work very hard, but I would hate to consider myself a workaholic. The corporate world can gobble you up and eat into your personal life with amazing efficiency – and this is one of the facets of the play.”
Do you think the yuppie lifestyle in the play is something we can easily identify with in Malta?
“Definitely. Find me one person who doesn’t want the latest mobile phone, convertible car, designer kitchen and a fridge that tells you when your milk runs out and I’ll find you a thousand who do.”
This is very much a character-driven play which relies on the dialogue rather than too many props or action... do you prefer this kind of scripts?
“The dialogue is clever, and in between the jokes, the play gives you much to think about. I believe this alone compensates for the lack of props or action but it is very taxing on the actor.”
What is your own attitude towards money, e.g. how important is it to you, are you a spender or a saver?
“I’m not a saver. I’m not a good negotiator – if I were one, I would be a very rich man today. Money is important in that it buys you comforts and offers peace of mind but, and I hate to use a cliché here, money pales when compared to things like health, love and freedom.”
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Julia Calvert
Julia Calvert plays Kirsten, a no-nonsense, tough “female dog” in her prime. She thinks she’s the bee’s knees in everything she does and isn’t afraid to gloat about it. She’s strong and so perfectly written as the stereotypical “PR/Ad” woman, it makes me laugh.
What attracted you most to this script by Ben Elton?
“Well, it’s just so clever. There’ll be moments of hysteria where the audience need to watch they don’t wet their seats with laughter, but generally speaking, it’s just such a joy to work with a script that is so well written and with underlying tones of reality. Three cheers for Ben Elton.”
How much can you relate to the greedy corporate world which Elton describes in this play?
“Totally. The business cycle is so much, ‘I want it all and I want it by yesterday’, that I can really understand why Ben wrote such a spoof of that world.”
Do you think the yuppie lifestyle in the play is something we can easily identify with in Malta?
“Have you walked through certain areas of Malta on a Saturday morning? Yes. We are turning into the same sad yuppie movement the rest of the world has seen over recent years.”
This is very much a character-driven play which relies on the dialogue rather than too many props or action... do you prefer this kind of scripts?
“I’m very flexible. But in this case, when the script is so beautifully written, although it’s harder for the actor, it makes the play so much more enjoyable.”
What is your own attitude towards money – e.g. how important is it to you, are you a spender or a saver?
“It makes my world go around… but it never bought me happiness. (Apart from the odd item of clothing bought during a retail therapy session – but even then, it’s only fleeting.)”
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About ‘Gasping’
The story follows the exploits of Lockheart Holdings, a company which “makes buckets of money by having buckets of money.” However, not content with this boring way of generating profit, Sir Chiffley Lockheart (Edward Merceica) orders his creative team to come up with a way of generating money where none had existed before.
After wracking his brains, marketing man Philip (Alan Montanaro) comes up with the idea of designer air – a product so innovative it takes the world by storm, quickly becoming the boom product of the decade. Sadly, the popularity of this air is also its downfall: as more and more people suck oxygen from the atmosphere, the planet descends into the sort of chaos you would expect when breathing freely has suddenly become a luxury.
Gasping is a fantastically-written moral adventure played out against the backdrop of boardrooms, squash courts and executive jacuzzis. Meanwhile the mischievous world of marketing gets even more messy when a love triangle develops involving top advertising executive Kirsten (Julia Calvert), Philip and his assistant Sandy (John Montanaro).
The fast-paced, witty, intelligent script is guaranteed to leave you, er, breathless. Author Ben Elton is one of England’s most talented writers and comics. He has written numerous television series including the international smash hit Blackadder. His theatrical achievements include Silly Cow as well as the musicals The Beautiful Game and We Will Rock You.
Gasping, which has been performed all over the world from London’s West End to Sydney, has been described as “true comedy with a difference” by the Daily Express and “a joyful romp of a play” by The Sunday Times.
Gasping is being staged by Mellow Drama at St James Cavalier in Valletta on 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 23 and 24 June. Ticket prices range from Lm3 to Lm6. All shows start at 8pm.
Bookings can be made in person at St James Cavalier, on tel.: 2122-3200 or by email to: [email protected].