The MADC and Teatru Manoel will be producing Christopher Marlowe’s classic play – which is set in Malta – for the first time, at the beginning of next month.
The MADC and Teatru Manoel will be producing Christopher Marlowe’s classic play – which is set in Malta – for the first time, at the beginning of next month. It is also your chance to see the stunning interiors of this Baroque theatre. Have you got your tickets yet?
The Jew of Malta, Christopher Marlowe’s 16th-century classic, is going to be performed in its original setting, as the MADC and Teatru Malta bring the original play to the Maltese national theatre.
Teatru Manoel has seen many productions come to life here since 1731, when Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena commissioned and personally funded the construction of the public theatre. De Vilhena intended to keep the young knights of the Order of St John out of mischief, while providing the general public with ‘honest entertainment.’ In fact, the Latin phrase ‘ad honestam populi oblectationem’ was inscribed above the main entrance to the theatre, and still reads today. In the spirit of these words, the ever-so relevant Jew of Malta will be performed here for the very first time this October.
Penned by the greatest of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, this Elizabethan roller coaster of a play delves into the darker side of 16th-century realities, which arguably still prevail almost 400 years after it was originally written. History is destined to repeat itself time and again, as displayed in Marlowe’s carefully constructed microcosm of a world in which religion and power are inextricably linked. The three main Mediterranean religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – meet in a fast-paced plot teeming with power, greed and violence. Following his premature death outside a tavern in Deptford, Marlowe soon became recognised for his complex and flawed characters, despite facing accusations of atheism and treachery.
In The Jew of Malta, Marlowe makes it clear that there is no obvious line separating good from evil. Even those characters who present themselves as agents of morality turn their backs on morals when it suits them. Machiavellian strategising overrules religious morality, and the characters place their trust in their own schemes in order to protect their interests. Motivated by these universal themes, director Chris Gatt stated that “If a 'classic' does not ring true to the realities of the audience, then it is best left alone.”
The Jew of Malta features several household names among its cast, including Mikhail Basmadjian, Naomi Knight, Antony Edridge, Erica Muscat, Edward Thorpe, Philip Leone-Ganado, Nathan Brimmer, Alex Weenink, Waylon D’Mello, Joe Depasquale, Maxine Brimmer, Helen Osborne, Joseph Zammit and Daniela Carabott Pawley.
The Jew of Malta will be performed at Teatru Manoel on 5-7 and 12-14 October at 8pm (except for the October 6 performance, which starts at 6pm). This project is supported by the Project Support Grant, Malta Arts Fund – Arts Council Malta. For more information and tickets, visit www.teatrumanoel.com.
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Copyright: Temple Concierge Ltd
Content Supplied by: MADC
Images: Justin Mamo
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