What’s on in Malta and Gozo this week: March 10 to 16, 2025
Highlights of events in the coming days
ARTS
Rossini Week
The Manoel Theatre is celebrating the work of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini with a week of events from until March 15.
Rossini Week includes four performances of the opera Il Barbiere di Siviglia and recitals of Rossini’s Sins of Old Age and Petite Messe Solennelle.
Directed by Paul Carr, Il Barbiere di Siviglia stars a local and international cast, together with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Laus. A 12-strong male choir from KorMalta, under the direction of Riccardo Bianchi, will also perform. Set design is by Adrian Mamo and costume design by Denise Mulholland. The opera was first staged on Sunday (March 9) and will be performed again on March 11, 13 and 15.
A selection of Rossini’s Sins of Old Age will be performed at the theatre’s Sala Isouard on March 10 at 7.30pm. Soprano Andriana Yordanova and pianist Caroline Calleja will present a selection of pieces from the composer’s collection of 150 vocal, chamber and solo piano pieces.
The Petite Messe Solennelle, one of Rossini’s final works, will be performed by soprano Gillian Zammit, mezzo-soprano Claire Massa, tenor Eduardo Hurtado Rampoldi, bass Louis Cassar and the New Choral Singers at the theatre on March 14 at 7.30pm. They will be accompanied by Joanne Camilleri on the harmonium and Michael Laus on the piano, who will also conduct the concert.
Tickets for all Rossini Week events can be purchased from teatrumanoel.mt or by calling the box office at (+356) 2124 6389. One may also visit the box office at Old Theatre Street in Valletta.
THEATRE
The Coarse Acting Show
MADC is producing Michael Green’s The Coarse Acting Show at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema from March 14 to 16 and at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta from March 21 to 23.
The show, directed by Stephen Oliver, features six short plays from various genres in which, hilariously, everything that can go wrong in a production does so. In all, cues are missed, effects fail and props are lost and confusion reigns, but the coarse actors struggle on.
These plays are: Streuth, the classic murder mystery; A Collier’s Tuesday Tea, a gritty Northern drama, complete with dodgy accents; All’s Well That Ends As You Like It, the very worst in Shakespearean performance; The Cherry Sisters, deliciously Chekovian; Last Call For Breakfast, one of those overly pretentious Arthaudian/Beckett style pieces; and finally, Julius and Cleopatra, complete with chariot race.
The cast features Alan Paris, Andrea Pace, Brendon Thearle, Craig Abela, Edward Caruana Galizia, Edward Thorpe, Francesca Briffa, Franco Sciberras, Jacob Falzon, Kate De Cesare, Leah Grech, Kim Dalli, Richard Godden and Shaun Rizzo.
Tickets for the shows at the Salesian Theatre from https://tsmalta.com and for the Manoel run from teatrumanoel.mt.
The cast of MADC’s The Coarse Acting Show. Photo: Justin MamoBlanket Ban
Multi-award winning international hit Blanket Ban is being staged on March 14-16 at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.
Scripted and performed by Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella, the 16+ play explores Maltese people’s experiences of abortion healthcare through interviews, verbatim theatre and innovative technology.
Tickets from kreattivita.org.
Read more about the show in this Times of Malta preview.
Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella in Blanket Ban. Photo: Facebook/Spazju KreattivLuca
The senior school students and staff members of St Paul’s Missionary College are staging a heartwarming show at St Agatha Auditorium in Rabat on March 15 at 6pm.
Luca is about a young sea monster who explores the human world with his friend Alberto in the Italian seaside town of Portorosso. Disguised as humans, they befriend a girl named Giulia, while hiding their true identities.The show is a tale of friendship, self-discovery and acceptance but, above all, about the thirst for knowledge and curiosity.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Kif tgħallimt insuq
Dù Theatre is staging a Maltese adaptation of US playwright Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel How I Learned to Drive at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab on March 13 and 14.
Translated into Maltese by Simone Spiteri and directed by Chiara Hyzler, the play confronts the complexities of taboo relationships, conflicted family dynamics, paedophilia and sexual abuse. It presents these topics in an accessible and sensitive way brought to life with humour and wit.
Kif tgħallimt insuq, certified 15+, is supported by Arts Council Malta, Theatre Next Door, APS Bank and Victim Support Malta. Tickets from fmt.com.mt.
Read also this Times of Malta preview.
Peter Galea and Simone Spiteri in Kif tgħallimt insuq. Photo: Albert CamilleriMUSIC
Spirit of Smokie
Smokie tribute band Spirit of Smokie will perform at the Aurora Theatre in Victoria on March 15 at 7.30pm.
They will play some of the band’s most beloved hits such as Needles and Pins, Mexican Girl, Lay Back in the Arms of Someone, I’ll Meet You at Midnight and Living Next Door to Alice.
The band includes Dean Alan Barton, the son of Alan Barton, who had replaced Smokie’s original singer, Chris Norman, after the latter embarked on a solo career.
Doors open at 7pm. Tickets from teatruaurora.com.
Spirit of Smokie. Photo: FacebookMasters of Melody
The Count Roger Band Club of Rabat is organising a grand philharmonic concert to celebrate its rich history and future on March 15.
The event will pay tribute to renowned composers like Giuseppe Vitaliti, Vincenzo Ciappara and Joseph Vella, who have shaped the local musical scene. Looking forward, the concert will also shine a light on some of the greatest up-and-coming composers which have a strong bond with the band club, such as Carmel Borg, Kristian Schembri and Luke Vella.
The event will be held on the De Redin Bastions, behind the Mdina cathedral at 8pm. Comfortable shoes are recommended to access the bastions.
The event is organised in collaboration with the National Band Clubs Association and with the support of Arts Council Malta, Visit Malta and the Mdina Metropolitan Chapter.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
DANCE
Divas II: The Dance Show
YADA Dance Company continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with Divas II: The Dance Show at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, on March 14 to 16.
Directed by Felix Busutti, the show features over 300 dancers, including some of Malta’s past and present YADA dancers, dancers from collaborating schools such as Alison White Dance Studio, Dance Project, Alegria, RIDM Academy, Mandy Dance Academy and others, local choreographers such as Cheryl Lofreda and Luke Brincat, and also foreign dancers such as South Africa’s and YADA’s Firedance flamenco artist Rosana Maya and Raffaella Carrà’s choreographer, Stefano Forti.
They dance to musical hits by an array of international divas, including Dolly Parton, Kate Bush, Beyoncé, Freddie Mercury, Raffaella Carrà, RuPaul and Taylor Swift, besides local stars Maryrose Mallia, Ira Losco, Doreen Galea, Amber, Glen Vella, Destiny, Sarah Bonnici and others.
The show is suitable for all the family. Tickets from showshappening.com.
FILM
Children Cinema Day
KRS Releasing, in collaboration with cinemas in Malta and Gozo, are organising another Children Cinema Day on March 15.
The Eden cinemas in St Julian’s, Embassy Cinemas in Valletta, Galleria Cinemas in Fgura and the Citadel Cinemas in Victoria, Gozo, will be offering a variety of children’s films at reduced prices of admission for all shows starting before 7pm.
The screenings will include the most recent releases such as Captain America: A Brave New World, Panda Bear In Africa and Dog Man but will also include – for those who missed them − Mufasa: The Lion King, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Wicked and Wicked Sing-Along, Buffalo Kids and Rebellious: Mission Royal Rescue, among others.
Visit the cinemas’ schedules for details on the screenings.
Photo: Shutterstock.comLUX Audience Award
The LUX Audience Award campaign, organised by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, has returned for this year’s edition.
In collaboration with the European Parliament Office in Malta, Spazju Kreattiv and The Citadel Cinema are showing all five films in Valletta and Gozo during the months of March and April.
Films will be screened with English and Maltese subtitles, and all screenings are open to the public free of charge.
Audiences can rate the films by April with a chance to win a range of exciting prizes, including a trip to the European Parliament to attend the LUX Award Ceremony in April and meet directors and film crews of the nominees.
The screenings in Gozo will take place on five consecutive Sundays which started on March 2, with Intercepted. Animal followed on March 9, Dahomey on March 16, Julie Keeps Quiet on March 23 and Flow on April 6.
The screenings in Malta will start on March 18 with Intercepted, followed by Animal on March 26, Dahomey on April 3, Julie Keeps Quiet on April 10 and Flow on April 15.
For show times and further information, visit the websites of The Citadel Cinema and Spazju Kreattiv.
MISCELLANEOUS
Michael McIntyre: Macnificent
British comedian and TV host Michael McIntyre is bringing his latest show Macnificent to the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali on March 14 and 15.
McIntyre is the host of two of the BBC’s most successful entertainment shows, the BAFTA-winning Michael McIntyre’s Big Show and The Wheel, which he devised and also hosts for NBC in America.
His previous tours have sold over four million tickets and broken box-office records around the world.
The show, organised by Off The Kerb Productions, G7 Services Ltd and Malta Daily, is suitable for an audience over 14 years of age.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Michael McIntyre. Photo: FacebookThe Malta Society of Model Makers Annual Exhibition
The Malta Society of Model Makers is hosting a model exhibition featuring warplanes, figures, cars, tanks, ships, dioramas and engineering-related models in various scales at Notre Dame Gate in Vittoriosa from March 15 to 23.
A particular highlight of the exhibition is the figure section, which showcases hand-painted soldiers from various historical regiments and armies. These figures are presented as standalone pieces, in vignettes or within dioramas, each meticulously painted in historically accurate military uniforms by society members.
Visitors will have the chance to observe modellers as they build their models.
Opening hours are weekdays from 9am to 6pm and weekends and public holidays from 9am to 7pm. On March 23, the exhibition will close at 5pm.
One of the various scale models going on display.