Perhaps to prove that, indeed, all the world is a stage, the MADC is marking its 80th anniversary since its first Shakespeare production by returning to San Anton Gardens with As You Like It.
“We are thrilled to be back at San Anton with another Shakespeare production,” MADC artistic director Marylu Coppini said.
“For MADC to be producing the same Shakespeare play, in the same venue, some 80 years after the club first did so, is an important milestone both in our history and for its acting members, who every year, turn a public garden into an open-air theatre of 21st-century quality.”
This year’s play is directed by Philip Leone-Ganado, and the cast features Chris Dingli, Stephen Oliver, Jonathan Dunn, Steffi Thake, Roberta Cefai, Chiara Hyzler, Gianni Selvaggi, Michael Mangion, Rambert Attard, Maxine Brimmer, Becky D’Ugo, Joe Depasquale and Daniel Formosa.
One of the Bard’s funniest and most moving comedies
The play tells the story of lovers Rosalind and Orlando, who are forced into exile in the Forest of Arden and become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. It is one of the Bard’s funniest and most moving romantic comedies, with coming-of-age themes as relevant today as when it was first performed.
“The play moves from the stark, oppressive world of a modern royal court to the free and joyous expanse of a forest festival,” said Mr Leone Ganado, a Times of Malta reporter.
“For a play with such an iconic and evocative backdrop as the Forest of Arden, there really is no better place to perform it than San Anton Gardens in summer, which provides a perfect fit for the forest’s magic and splendour,” he added.
Mr Selvaggi, who stars in the role of Orlando, said getting to know what made the character tick was an interesting journey.
“He’s a very particular character, an impulsive and hopeless romantic who wears his heart on his sleeve. This is my second time performing at San Anton, and it is fantastic, especially working with such a brilliant cast,” he said.
“This is a comedy full of love, music, smiles and confusion, set in a magical atmosphere… What’s not to enjoy?”
As You Like It runs until Sunday.
For further information, go to www.madc.com.mt.
This is a comedy full of love, music, smiles and confusion.