DANCE

The Nutcracker

MOVEO Dance Company is presenting its own rendition of the classic ballet show The Nutcracker, featuring the popular score by Tchaikovsky.

The show is taking place at the Valletta Campus Theatre in St Christopher Street, Valletta, today at 7.30pm and tomorrow at 11am.

For tickets, visit showshappening.com.

ŻfinMade: New Futures

Responding to the theme ‘New Futures’ and the question ‘what will the future look like in 100 years?’, ŻfinMalta, under the artistic direction of Paolo Mangiola, has invited six emerging choreographers and artists working with movement, who are based in Malta, to create a series of solos and duets with the company dancers.

The result is four evenings of dance performances at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta taking place until tomorrow. For tickets, click here.

THEATRE

A Kick in the Baubles

MADC is again staging the Christmas comedy A Kick in the Baubles by Gordon Steel at the MADC Playhouse, Santa Venera, today and tomorrow.

Directed by new MADC chairman Steve Casaletto, the play tells the story of a peaceful Christmas at the Bauble household, which turns into mayhem.

The cast is led by John Montanaro, Maxine Aquilina, Francesca Briffa and Stephen Oliver.

For tickets, visit madc.com.mt.

Kevin Naudi – I Have Something to Say

Stand-up comedian Kevin Naudi is presenting a new show titled I Have Something to Say at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

His new material covers anything from Trump to Putin to understanding Jeff Dahmer’s point of view, identity and gender equality, and family life.

Tickets are available from showshappening.com.

ARTS

Amora

Contemporary circus company Cirque du Soleil is back in Malta with another original show, this time combining acrobatics and heart-pumping performances to celebrate love.

The story centres around a clumsy but lovable character, Bruno, who, while gazing up to the skies of Valletta, sets eyes on a mysterious woman, Loulou. Captivated, he tries to climb up to her balcony to reach her… but she flies away and vanishes out of sight. He, thus, sets out on a quest to find her, meeting colourful new friends with extraordinary powers along the way.

Shows are taking place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta  until December 18. For tickets, visit showshappening.com. For more information, check cirquedusoleil/amora.

MUSIC

The Malta International Christmas Choir Festival

The fourth edition of the Malta International Christmas Choir Festival, organised by Leon Promotions Malta and Euro Art Italy, in collaboration with the Kottonera Foundation, features 12 choirs and a musical trio who will perform in five concerts at different churches in Cottonera and Żabbar this weekend.

These choirs, coming from Italy, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Malta, will be singing various Christmas carols and other songs from their respective repertoires.

Besides, some of the choirs will be also animating the Sunday morning mass at the various churches.

For more details, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Italian choir in concert

Italian choir Il Polifonico is performing in Malta this weekend. Led by Fabiana Noro and accompanied on the piano by Ferdinando Mussutto, the choir will sing at St Julian’s parish church, Lapsi Street, today at 8.30pm. Everyone is invited and entrance is free.

The programme is focused on sacred music by European authors of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Cesnokov, Schubert, Bortnianski, Casals, Sato, Lauridsen, Miani, Whitacre and Adams.

The event is happening through a collaboration between the Italian Embassy in Valletta and the Fogolar Furlan of Malta.

Malta International Organ Festival

The festival continues today with an organ and trumpet concert titled Christmas Prelude featuring organist Franco Cefai and trumpeter Jason Camilleri at St Mark’s church (Augustinians) in Rabat at 7pm. Entrance is free but a collection in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza will be made after the concert.

The festival runs until December 6. For more information, visit maltainternationalorganfestival.com and the event’s Facebook page.

---

FILM

Week of Legends

The Eden Cinemas, in St Julian’s is paying homage to music legends Queen, Elton John, Elvis Presley and David Bowie by screening their latest biopics. 

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Rocketman (2019), Elvis (2022) and Moonage Daydream (2022) will be showing until December 6.

For showtimes and tickets, log on to edencinemas.com.mt.

Month of European Film

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is today showing the 2019 Romanian film The Whistlers as part of the Month of European Film. The crime drama, certified 15, will be shown in its original language with English subtitles.

Across Europe, partner cinemas in 35 countries from Reykjavik to Athens, from Lisbon to Bucharest, but also including small towns and networks, are highlighting European films, presenting special programmes, events and dedicated retrospectives for four weeks.

The Month of European Film kicked off on November 13 with the European Arthouse Cinema Day and the European Film Academy’s Young Audience Award. Instead of a uniform catalogue, each participating cinema is creating a unique programme according to their expertise and catering to their audience’s taste. The Month of European Film culminates on December 10 at the 35th European Film Awards in Reykjavik, Iceland.

For tickets and more info, click here.

A Christmas Carol − A Ghost Story

Spazju Kreattiv is screening a retelling of Charles Dickens's classic winter ghost story, A Christmas Carol, starring Mark Gatiss as Jacob Marley and Nicholas Farrell as Scrooge.

A Nottingham Playhouse production, the play was filmed live for cinemas during the 2021 stage run at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre. It is filled with Dickensian, spine-tingling special effects.

A Christmas Carol − A Ghost Story is being screened today at 4pm and on December 11 at 6pm.

Note: The show contains sequences of flashing lights which might affect customers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Christmas in the Capital

Valletta is hosting a programme of Christmas-related activities until the end of December.

There are Christmas trees in Freedom Square, Republic Street and Merchants Street, Christmas lights in Republic and Merchants streets, an artistic light installation in South Street and a crib next to St John's Co-Cathedral.

The programme, organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency, includes various music and artistic performances throughout the coming weeks, and will culminate with the New Year's Eve concert in St George's Square on December 31.

For details of the programme, visit vca.gov.mt.

The Magical Illuminated Trail

Verdala Palace in Buskett is once again hosting the Magical Illuminated Trail which is featuring new and bigger attractions this year, besides a new Christmas village. 

The magical after-dark adventure for all the family runs until January 7.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund. For tickets, click here.

Valletta Waterfront Christmas Wonderland

The Valletta Waterfront is once again turning into a Christmas Wonderland for the festive season.

Among others, there is a 35-foot Christmas tree, Santa’s House complete with its own garden and workshop, a traditional Maltese crib and colourful, handcrafted characters adorning the promenade such as a massive Nutcracker Soldier and an endearing Gingerbread Man.

A whole programme of activities is also planned for the coming month. For more information, visit the Valletta Waterfront's Facebook page.

Other Christmas fairs and activities

Various localities are holding a Christmas fair this weekend. These include Milied fil-Pjazza in Birżebbuġa (all weekend), which is featuring a record-breaking Christmas train; Milied Imdawwal fl-Imqabba in Mqabba (all weekend) and Merħba Milied (tomorrow) in Kerċem.

There is also an event titled Santa’s Park (today and tomorrow) at Splash and Fun Water Park in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and a Christmas market at Hilltop Gardens in Naxxar (tomorrow). Click on the links for more information.

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS

Plant and fashion sale

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is teaming up with VogueXchange to hold a fundraising plant and clothes sale at St Anne's Square Sliema today and tomorrow from 10am to 5pm.

There will be a selection of winter clothes, everything from glamour to streetwear including party wear, wedding outfits, jackets and large sizes for the Christmas season, all priced to sell.

The plant sale includes a selection of plants, including: Hibiscus, Lantana, Canna, Bougainvillea, Cassia, Mexican Petunia, Plumbago, Cycas palm and Frangipani and indoor plants: Syngonium, Dieffenbachia, Philodendron, Yucca, Moses Basket, ferns, succulents and others, including hard-to-find plants like Maltese Galletta (Ligularia), aloe vera, Stephanotis, Valeriana Rubra and Honeysuckle, pepper bush and holly fern, and many others.

Funds raised will go towards protecting Malta's heritage and quality of life.

Xemxija heritage walk

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is organising a walk along the Xemxija Heritage trail today.

This old Roman road, also known as the Pilgrim’s Way, is scattered with remains of every period of Maltese history: from Neolithic temples, Punic tombs, Roman baths and apiaries to an ancient 1,000-year-old tree, cart ruts, cave dwellings and a World War II pillbox, plus views of  Selmun Palace and bay.

The limited-number group will be guided in English by local expert  Mario Salerno. They are meeting at Xemxija church at 2.45pm. Duration is 1.5 hours. Book tickets at: https://ticketengine.faa.org.mt.

VISUAL ARTS

A Collection of Charcoal Drawings and Hand-Crafted Objects

A collection of charcoal drawings and objects by self-taught and self-proclaimed anti-social artist CO-MA closes today.

The artist's work has no frills but contrasts living in the world of black and white. He is also a “collector of nice things” which are broken down into their primary parts and find themselves in the new objects he builds. The result are pieces that are at once functional, intriguing and otherworldly.

The exhibition is being held at Green Shutters of 27, Triq San Franġisk, Floriana. For more information, see www.coma-artist.com and follow Lily Agius Gallery on Instagram and Facebook.

Resilience – Thriving Through Adversity

An exhibition at Fort St Elmo, in Valletta, showcasing creative projects by Aġenzija Sapport service users from all day centres, with the assistance of support workers, is closing today.

The theme of Resilience was chosen to to reflect the strength of service users in facing setbacks such as prejudice, negative stereotypes and discrimination. 

Various items are on display. The artists used different media including acrylic and 3D painting on canvas, encaustic art (using wax), wood and iron, papier-mache, photography (produced on canvas, photo albums and board), clay installations and quilling techniques.

Opening hours: 9am to 4.30pm. For tickets, click here.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Artist Darren Tanti is presenting an art project meant to shed light on the mediatic processes used to spread information about war and its effects on the viewer.

The work reflects the artist’s preoccupation with fabrication, editing and twisting of information people outside the conflict zone might be subjected to.

The project is meant to provoke viewers by a number of analytical, ironic, and at times, cynical works based on factual, fictional images and theoretical work. Different experts from journalism, film, art, education and the military fields will also contribute to the project via a number of talks and workshops.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, curated by Melanie Erixon is open at Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, and at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba, until tomorrow, December 4.

Consult the project’s Facebook page for more information.

Also read this Times of Malta review.

Commemorating Antoine Camilleri (1922-2005): A Hundred Years from his Birth

Heritage Malta is commemorating the 100 years since the birth of Antoine Camilleri, the modernist pioneer of Maltese 20th-century art, with an exhibition at the Camerone at MUŻA, Valletta.

Several of Camilleri's artworks and personal items are on show. The exhibition runs until December 7.

Read the Times of Malta review for more insight into the artist and his works.

Legends

A collection of contemporary works by Hudson founder and chairman Alfie Borg is on display at Kettles cafeteria at The Brewhouse in Mrieħel.

HIs mixed-media works depict all-time legends from the world of art, sport, music, film and social history, who have inspired Borg in different stages of his life.

All the proceeds from the sale of the art pieces will go towards the Hudson Foundation which seeks to ‘give a voice to the voiceless’ and focuses on supporting abandoned dogs, children and Mother Earth. 

Legends runs until December 7.

Off-Kilter

Artist and illustrator Marisa Attard is holding a solo exhibition of her quirky and funny works at Gallery 23 in Idmejda Street, Balzan.

The exhibition runs until December 7 and is open tomorrow from 10am to 12.30pm and on December 7 from 6.30 to 8pm. Viewing can also be arranged by appointment on 9942 8272 or by e-mailing info @gallery23malta.com.

For more information, visit the gallery's Facebook page. Also read this review by Ġorġ Mallia.

It's All Paperwork

An exhibition of sculptures in Maltese globigerina limestone by Antoine Farrugia is on display at the Parliament building in Valletta until December 11.

The stone is transformed into what can be perceived as almost sheets of paper, from origami to scrolls of paper and other shapes which seem to defy gravity.

It’s All Paperwork, held under the patronage of Anġlu Farrugia, speaker of the House of Representatives, is organised by the Valletta Cultural Agency. Log on to the event’s Facebook page for more information.

Artsy Christmas

A selection of Christmas-related artworks and more by a number of artists is on show at the Art by the Seaside gallery in Senglea.

The collective exhibition, as the name indicates, is linked to the Christmas season, having a wide range of hand-made arts, from candles, to jewellery to Christmas decorations and obviously wall hanging works.

Participating artists include Kevin Attard, Dave Calleja, David Debono, Rebecca Ranieri, Thomas Scerri and Kevin Sciberras, among many others.

Artsy Christmas runs until December 11. Refer to the venue’s Facebook page for more information.

The Malta Photographic Society Annual Exhibition

The 57th edition of the National Competition and Exhibition of Photography, organised annually by the Malta Photographic Society, is on at Palazzo de La Salle in Valletta, the seat of the Malta Society of Arts (MSA). 

This year 74 photographers submitted around 700 photos for the competition. From these, the jury chose more than 100 works that are being exhibited as printed and framed photographs, as well as over 110 digital photos to be displayed on a monitor. The jury was made up of eight experts in the field of photography. 

The competition honoured photographs in the four categories of colour prints, monochrome prints, colour projected images and monochrome projected images.

The exibition will be open until December 22; Monday to Friday from 9am to 7pm and Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Entrance is free. Anyone who would like a guide should contact the MPS on info@mpsmalta.com. For more details about the exhibition visit www.artsmalta.org/events or www.facebook.com/maltasocietyofarts.

Mediterranean Dreams Part 2

Following his exhibition titled Mediterranean Dreams, Kenneth Zammit Tabona presents the second chapter in his idyllic depictions of our country’s way of life.

The over 30 watercolour works are 'fuoridentros' in which gardens, pockets of landscapes, chapels, watchtowers and Montgolfiers are observed through open windows, thus bringing the outside in.

Mediterranean Dreams 2, curated by Charlene Vella, Mdina, is on display at Xara Palace in Mdina until December 22. Part of the proceeds from sales will be donated to Id-Dar tal-Providenza.

Consult the artist’s Facebook page for more information.

Nuances

An exhibition by Carmel Bonello and Peter Seychell is open at Gemelli Framing in Ta' Qali.

The title of the exhibition essentially defines a spectrum of inspirational sources, especially so when the whole enterprise is that between two artists who have an identifiable and very personalised style of expression.

Bonello is a veteran of the local art scene; with expressionism finding its way very earlier on into his oeuvre. He explores the world around him in full colour, black lines delineating the composition.

Seychell is a relative newcomer to the local art scene. However, his impressive intricate paintings have captured the attention of the art-loving public. 

Nuances runs until December 23. Consult this Facebook group for opening hours and more information.

Versatility

Veteran artist Joseph Barbara is exhibiting an array of his work, dating back to 2000 at Wignacourt Museum in Rabat.

The artist is renowned for recycling plastic mineral bottles to construct sculptures that deliver an environmental message. This exhibition, however, also includes his paintings which range from ones that have a strong pop-art imagery, featuring mostly ballroom dancers, to others having an oriental theme and on to multi-thematic collages.

Versatility runs until December 28. The museum is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.15pm.

Art at the Corinthia Palace

The Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard is hosting a collective exhibition of contemporary artworks by 13 local and international artists.

The paintings are from the Allura Art collection and range from landscapes and seascapes to florals and abstracts. They include new and previously unseen work.

The artists taking part are Andrew Borg, Christine Porter Lofaro, Jo Dounis, Kevin Sciberras, Debbie Bonello and Rosette Bonello from Malta and Christopher Saliba and Bob Cardona from Gozo. Foreign locals include British-Maltese painter Andrew Smith, Bulgarians Vania Goshe and Bogdan Dyulgerov, Natasha Dadush from Russia and Marianne Ogden from the US.

The exhibition runs until January 8. More information about the exhibition is available here.

I Landed. Malta

Spazju Kreattiv and the Marlands Project have collaborated on a new exhibition featuring works by French artists Edgar Sarin, Lucy Orta and Max Fouchy and Maltese counterpart Sheldon Saliba.

Guest artist Sarin explored the island during his art residency in Malta as part of the Marlands project. His immersive, multilayered art project is the result of productive dialogues with islanders specialising in craft, culture and science.

During this exhibition, one can also take a trip to other Mediterranean islands through the artists’ work: Orta will take visitors to the Balearic Islands and Fouchy to Sicily.

I Landed. Malta is curated by Elena Posokhova and Vince Briffa.

After the exhibition closes on January 8, it will move on to Catania, Sicily; Palma, Mallorca; Nicosia, Cyprus and Mallorca, Spain. For more information, click here.

Sights and sites

A new exhibition by Silvio John Camilleri at the King’s Own Band Club in Valletta investigates contemporary reality in which the ugliness of roads and pristine countryside have to co-exist as a dichotomy in Malta’s way of life.

Yet, the artist deciphers beauty even in the most inauspicious of locations, such as in the geometry of the road network and its juxtaposition with trees, streetlights and general urban elements.

Sights and Sites, curated by Fleur-Marie Ebejer, is on until January 11. Refer to the artist’s Facebook profile for more information.

---

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Sunetti: Minn Fomm u Qalb il-Poplu

Malta Libraries is holding an exhibition on Maltese sonnets at the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

It is open to the public, free of charge, until the end of December. One may visit between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

The exhibition catalogue and a sonnet written specifically for the occasion and printed on silk (limited edition of 100) are available for sale from the Reading Room.

Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple

An exhibition at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa tells of the special relationship between the palace and the neighbouring Dominican Order, especially in the post-war years.

Enemy war bombing in 1941 had left the Dominican community without a convent and a church, and they found temporary refuge beyond Vittoriosa. But they were called back by the need to fulfil their spiritual and educational mission among their people.

Eighty years ago, in August 1942, the Dominicans asked for temporary shelter at the Inquisitor’s Palace and, for almost two decades, the palace became the community’s home and temple.

The exhibition runs until January 8. The Inquisitor's Palace is open weekly from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm.

Honor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean

An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta is open at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

Besides honouring Frost’s considerable legacy, the exhibition aims to offer a snapshot of Frost’s work in Malta through illustrations, artefacts and even some of her diving equipment.

The exhibition runs until January 15. Entrance is free of charge. One may visit the museum daily from 9am to 4.30pm. 

whatson@timesofmalta.com