THEATRE

Rigoletto

The Astra Theatre in Victoria is presenting a new production of Rigoletto, the first opera of Verdi’s popular trilogy that comprises Il Trovatore and La Traviata, on October 26 and 28. 

The cast includes Simone Piazzola in the title role, Enkeleda Kamani as Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, Gianluca Terranova as the Duke of Mantua, Dario Russo as Sparafucile and Martina Belli as Maddalena.

The production will be held under the artistic direction of Enrico Stinchelli, with the participation of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the Astra’s opera conductor, John Galea.

The Astra Opera Chorus will be directed by Mariella Spiteri Cefai and the set is built by Joseph Cauchi.

The opera is the highlight of Festival Mediterranea being organised by the theatre during the ‘Opera is Gozo’ month.

The festival  also includes a recital by the SPMO Woodwind Quartet on October 27 at the Teatru Astra Cultural Hub and a Beethoven recital by Francis Camilleri at the Aula Mgr Giuseppe Farrugia, at St George’s Basilica, Victoria, on October 29 at 8pm. Entrance to both recitals is free.

More information and tickets for Rigoletto are available on teatruastra.org.mt.

Grease

The Manoel Theatre and Masquerade Malta are presenting an adaptation of this popular musical romantic comedy from October 25 to 29. 

Featuring a book, music and lyrics of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, the show is directed by Anthony Bezzina, with musical direction by Kris Spiteri and choreography by Valerie Burke.

The cast includes Raphael Pace as Danny, Hannah Spiteri as Sandy, Jasmine Farrugia as Rizzo and Charlotte Formosa as Frenchie.

The play is suitable for an audience aged 7+ but all children aged seven to 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under seven will not be admitted to the show. Parental discretion is requested as smoking is depicted on the stage along with occasional strong language.

For tickets, visit teatrumanoel.mt.

No Pay? No Way! by Dario Fo

FM Theatre Productions and Theatre Next Door are presenting an adaptation of Dario Fo’s 1974 satire No Pay, No Way by Marieke Hardy until October 29.

The plot revolves around an everyday situation, grocery shopping, which turns into surreal mayhem.

Directed by Chris Gatt, the bitterly comic play stars Pia Zammit, Edward Mercieca, Faye Paris, Nathan Brimmer and Malcolm Galea.

For tickets, visit tnd.com.mt.

Peter Pan Jr

Stagecoach Performing Arts is retelling Peter Pan’s adventures at St Agatha’s Auditorium in Rabat on October 28 at 7pm. 

The Stagecoach students will bring to life the story of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys through storytelling, choreography, and various  heartwarming moments.

For tickets, visit tnd.com.mt.

Vjaġġ il-Ħrejjef

The next show by TOI TOI: the Manoel Theatre’s Learning and Participation Programme combines the magic of storytelling, engaging performances and educational elements to explore Malta’s rich folklore and mythical legends. 

Written and directed by Brian Bonnici, Vjaġġ il-Ħrejjef will be staged at the Manoel’s Studio Theatre in Valletta on October 28 and 29 at 11am and 1pm.It is targeted at children aged five to eight. The show incorporates interactive elements that will require the assistance of the young audience members.

For tickets, visit teatrumanoel.mt.

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MUSIC

Cello Variations on Movie Themes

Czech cellist Lucie Kucharova and baritone Ken Scicluna will perform in the next lunchtime concert being held at Our Lady of Victory church in Valletta, on October 24 at 12.30pm.

The programme includes works from the soundtracks of Chariots of Fire, The Mission, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso and Schindler’s List.

After the concert, patrons are invited for free to the cellar of the church to watch a short audiovisual show about the building, history and the restoration of this gem.

The event is organised by the Barocco Foundation, in collaboration with Din l-Art Ħelwa. Entrance is at a suggested donation of €10. One can obtain the tickets prior to the concert from the venue itself or by e-mailing baroccobookings@gmail.com or calling 7968 0952.

Musicals Maltin

The Malta Concert Orchestra will take the audience on a trip down memory lane with highlights from Maltese musical favourites at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta on October 27 at 8.30pm.

The concert will also be paying tribute to the late poet, author and songwriter Raymond Mahoney, best known for the 1982 rock opera Ġensna.

The orchestra, under the direction of Paul Abela, will be accompanied by singers Lawrence Gray, Georgina Abela, Roger Tirazona, Olivia Lewis, Mark Tonna and Talitha Dimech.

For tickets, visit ticketline.com.mt.

Hymns

Maltese saxophonist Carlo Muscat is launching his sixth album Hymns at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta on October 27.

The album, which explores the intersection between jazz and French chansons, also features French pianist Tony Tixier, who will be performing alongside Muscat during the launch.

The event is supported by the French Embassy. For tickets, visit kreattivita.org.

Read also this Times of Malta interview with Muscat.

St Paul Choral Society thanksgiving mass

The St Paul  Choral Society is holding a sung thanksgiving mass as part of its 25th anniversary celebrations at St John’s Co-Cathedral, Valletta, on October 28 at 7pm.

The choir, led by Hugo Agius Muscat, will perform a selection of its repertoire, including music by Agius Muscat himself, Vella, Rutter, Marcello, Vest, Duruflé, Mozart, Stanford and Handel. They will accompanied by Elisabeth Conrad on the cathedral organ.

Fr Michael Agius will celebrate mass. Everyone is welcome to attend.

FILM

Nothing Compares

Spazju Kreattiv is screening the 2022 documentary about the late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor as part of Irish Film Days cycle of films on October 24 at 7.30pm. 

Nothing Compares charts the singer’s phenomenal rise to worldwide fame, and examines how she used her voice at the height of her stardom before her iconoclastic personality led to her exile from the pop mainstream.It features era-defining music videos and concert performances alongside previously unseen footage from this period.

The film is underpinned by a new interview with O’Conner herself, in which she reflects on events in her own words, and from a present-day perspective. Contemporary artists, musicians and social commentators also include broader themes of Irish history, politics and global activism, all the while reflecting on the singer’s artistry, impact and legacy.

The documentary is certified 12A. Entrance is free but bookings must be made via kreattivita.org.

Romanian Film Days

The Romanian Embassy in Rome is organising a weekend of Romanian film screenings at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta between October 27 to 29.

Among the films to be shown are The Rest is Silence (2007), The Ladder (2021) and Men of Deeds (2022).

Entrance is free. For more information and bookings, visit kreattivita.org. 

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is bringing US singer Taylor Swift’s acclaimed tour to the big screen until November 5.

An homage to Taylor’s albums, the Eras Tour is her most expansive tour yet, with 146 dates across five continents. 

For tickets, visit edencinemas.com.mt.

MISCELLANEOUS

Malta Comic Con

The Malta Comic Con returns on a grander scale than ever at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali on October 28 and 29.

Among others, there will be various comics gaming tournaments, engaging panel discussions and Q&A sessions with industry experts, a geek marketplace and artistic showcases besides cosplay.

For more information, including a list of guests, and tickets, visit maltacomiccon.com. 

Buskett nature walk

Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar is organising a walk for all the family at Buskett, limits of Rabat, on Sunday, October 29. 

The walk will be led by botanist Timothy Tabone, who will talk about, and show participants, the flora and fauna found in the woodland.

The walk, in English, is being held twice on the day, at 10am and noon, and takes approximately 1.5 hours.

Participants are to meet 15 minutes before the starting time under the ‘metal canopy’ in the Buskett car park.

One can book here. Children under 12 years of age attend for free.

For more information, e-mail contact@faa.org.mt or call/WhatsApp on 9999 5409.

Annual model exhibition

The Association of Model Engineers is holding its annual model exhibition at the main hall of the St George Preca College Middle School (ex- Maria Regina Grammar School) from October 28 to November 5. 

Among others, there will be models of aircraft, cars, trains and dioramas.  

The exhibition will be open between 9am and 8pm every day except on October 28 and Sunday, November 5, when the exhibition will close at 5pm.

VISUAL ARTS

I Segnalati

Effetto Arte Foundation of Palermo and the art consultancy centre Russo of Rome are presenting the exhibition I Segnalati, curated by Salvatore Russo, at the Parliament building in Valletta until October 23.

Artists from all over the world are taking part, from France to Mexico to Hong Kong. Malta is being represented by artists Grace Borg, Raymond Grillo and Mario Zammit Lewis. 

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.

Ignis: Capturing the Timeless at Art

A collection of ceramic artworks by Deborah Marmara and Anna Miggiani is on display at Art by the Seaside Gallery in Senglea until October 27.

The works include an array of sculptures and wall hanging works, besides showcasing a variety of firing and glazing methods.

The exhibition covers a diverse range of themes, including nature and tradition nature, while challenging conventional notions of shape and form.

Visit the venue's Facebook page for more information.

Expression − From drawing to painting and sculpture

Antoine Paul Camilleri is exhibiting a series of pyrographs and sculptures at Gallery 23 in Balzan.

The son of the late Antoine Camilleri, one of the most important pioneers of Maltese modernism, the younger Camilleri has taken the advice and artistic direction that his father relayed to him.

Pyrography is often regarded as craft, rather than art. However, the artist has elevated the technique to new heights in a series of works extolling the virtues of the Maltese landscape and its architecture.

Camilleri is also exhibiting a number of ceramic sculptures related to sports, such as weightlifters and pole vaulters. He is also exhibiting two sculptures representing his father.

Expression − From Drawing to Painting and Sculpture runs at Gallery 23, Triq Idmejda, Balzan, until October 27. Consult the venue’s Facebook page for more information. Also read this Times of Malta interview with the artist.

That Other Place

Raphael Vella’s latest exhibition draws inspiration from Susan Sontag’s ‘citizens of that other place’ in her book, Illness as Metaphor. The other place refers to the kingdom of the ill, which she opposes to the kingdom of the well by exploring dehumanising myths and metaphors associated with the most infamous illnesses of modernity.

Over the years, artist, educator and researcher Vella has developed a unique and profound artistic language for voices and choices of resistance and a sense of agency and advocacy for ‘the other’ by making reference to institutions and systems that have become dysfunctional in a dystopian world – in a context in which illness itself no longer holds a form of truth with respect to the subject, as we all experienced it in recent times on a planetary scale.

Vella opens up a complex debate on representation to indicate a different plot of how we could imagine forms of curing in cultural, institutional and discursive spaces that are disruptive, unruly, intense, incompatible, contradictory or transforming.

That Other Place, curated by Maren Richter and hosted by Valletta Contemporary, is on until October 28. Log on to the venue’s Facebook page for opening hours and more information.

Also read this Times of Malta interview with the artist and curator.

Yells, Bells & Smells

Gemelli Art Gallery of Ta’ Qali is hosting a solo exhibition by Joan Zammit Cutajar.

Zammit Cutajar started her artistic journey with the late Esprit Barthet. She has since been greatly inspired and tutored by Debbie Caruana Dingli, who is curating the exhibition, and Tonio Mallia.

Yells, Bells & Smells is open until October 28. Consult the venue’s Facebook page for more information.

Soap to Think With

Norbert Francis Attard is holding a solo exhibition at Gozo Contemporary at 11, Triq Mongur, Għarb.

Curated by Ann Dingli, the exhibition features works made out of soap and soap boxes besides other materials to highlight links between massive events in national history that we might otherwise have not made.

A catalogue featuring critical essays by Paul Sant Cassia, Ann Dingli and Nikki Petroni and a prologue by Gabriel Zammit accompanies the exhibition, which is dedicated to Marisa Vella (1960-2020).

Soap to Think With runs until October 29. It can be viewed by appointment by calling on +356 7904 1051 or by sending an e-mail to norbert@norbertattard.com.

Read more about the exhibition in this Times of Malta interview with the artist and curator.

The Wind Blows… Waves in All Directions

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition as part of the EuroPride 2023 programme. 

Using Maltese and Tunisian contexts as parallel bases for this exhibition, artists and activists from 11 Mediterranean countries reflect on the past, present and future, as well as their community and their own identities with running themes of resistance through activism, gender expression, sexual liberation and self exploration throughout the exhibitions.

The exhibition runs until October 29, is co-curated by Bobb Attard & Mohamed Ali Agrebi. For more information, click here.

Ego Sum: The Face of Homelessness

To raise awareness about homelessness and to debunk stereotypes around it, YMCA Malta has embarked on a multi-venue exhibition, partly funded by Art Council Malta.

Ego Sum means 'I Am' in Latin and refers to how someone perceives themselves. 

The exhibition aims to show that being homeless/roofless is but a mere chapter in somebody’s life; that homelessness/rooflessness does not define who that person is or may become. That homeless person on the street could in fact be a doctor, a parent, an artist, a chef, a footballer, a dreamer or a student. 

The walk-through exhibition depicts the artistic sketches of Rachel Bowman and the photography of Tyler Calleja Jackson. Both these Maltese artists were inspired by interviews conducted with 50 homeless individuals and, together with Sofiya Chuzhda and Gwennaelle Viard, created a final collage.

The exhibition is being held at the Società Dante Alighieri, 134 Old Bakery Street, Valletta throughout October. It is open Monday to Friday from 5 to 8pm and on Saturday from 10am to noon and from 5 to 8pm.

Read all about the exhibition here.

A Collective Solo

Decades of experimentation with several media as well as formal training have led Ethelbert Perini to create a collection of artworks that are being exhibited in what is his first solo exhibition.

The exhibition’s title, A Collective Solo, is an oxymoron that prepares the viewer primarily for a diversity in the themes that are being presented. However, the medium employed for each work is consistent throughout.

The technique that Perini uses is soft pastels on paper or board, and it is one that he discovered when exploring different media throughout his artistic journey. The starting point for each composition is always nature, Perini’s surroundings, as well as the human form and physiognomy.

A Collective Solo, curated by Charlene Vella, is being held throughout October in the Palm Court Lounge of The Phoenicia Malta.

A Times of Malta interview with the artist is available here.

Carbonaro

An exhibition looking at the outstanding oeuvre of Maltese artist Pawl Carbonaro is currently on at Il-Ħaġar - Heart of Gozo Museum.

Exploring his varied output through more than 60 paintings, among which are his abstracted landscapes and his sprawling abstracts as well as etchings, this exhibition serves to inform the art-loving public about the artistic trajectory, spanning decades, of this seminal Maltese contemporary artist who has been a mentor for a plethora of younger local artists. A publication accompanies the exhibition.

Carbonaro, curated by fellow artist Austin Camilleri, is on until November 5. Opening hours daily between 9am and 5pm. Admission is free.

Also read this Times of Malta preview.

Passage of Light

Seasoned artists and watercolourists Doranne Alden and Paul Caruana have come together in a joint exhibition, experimenting with the concept of 'light'.

Alden and Caruana are using watercolours to offer viewers a glimpse of the passage of light, the way a scene is transmuted by a certain colour in the sky, how this reflects on the shadows, the colours, the play of forms, the movement of wind, the restfulness of calm, the awe of sunset.

Passage of Light, curated by Marika Azzopardi and hosted by the Malta Society of Arts, Republic Street, Valletta, is on until November 7. Entrance is free.

Read this Times of Malta interview with the two artists.

Froġa / Farrago

Sebastian Tanti Burlò is exhibition a collection of oil paintings at Sliema’s R Gallery.

The artist is known for his political cartoons in the Times of Malta but here he swaps his pen for the brush while retaining his unapologetic social commentary, a flair for the absurd, satirical strokes and an underlying subversive narrative. Nature, journalism and the world’s issues are represented in this exhibition.

The tragicomical is investigated through an ideal romantisation of our country and how society has evolved, together with comments on world issues that trouble the world at large. 

The exhibition, hosted at R Gallery of 26, Tignè Street, Sliema, runs until December 3. For more information, read this Times of Malta review.

Emotions of the Spirit

A collection of 28 works by Ivan Grixti is open for visitors at Level O, SkyParks Business Centre, MIA, Luqa, until the end of December.

Works include several portraits, including a self-portrait, that of homeless men and of Pope Benedict. There are also abstracts and a depiction of war, among others.

Grixti has just returned from Poznan, Poland where he lived, studied and worked as an educator for the last 12 years. There he mastered the language and attended several art courses. He graduated B.A. (Hons) in Education: Technical Drawing and Design & Technology (2001-05) from the University of Malta and then attended a post-graduate course at the Fine Arts Institute Marie-Curie Sklodowska, Lublin, Poland (2021-2022).

In Malta, he studied under Anthony (Tony) Demicoli, Paul Vella Critien, Anthony (Anton) Calleja and Philip Agius. He has exhibited in Malta, Poland and France.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Ancient Tea With New Glamour

The China Cultural Centre in Malta is hosting an exhibition under the theme of 'Tea for Harmony', co-organised with the Xi’an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Featuring intriguing displays, artefacts, paintings and photographs from the city of Xi’an, this new exhibition opens a window into the enduring significance of tea in Chinese culture.

A Tang-style gilded tea set made of bronze gold and silver is the main attraction. Other exhibits include a batch of royal teaware items that were unearthed in 1987 at the ancient Buddhist Famen Temple in northwest Shaanxi and a modern reprinted thread-bound edition of The Classic of Tea, considered to be the first known monograph on tea in the world, written by Lu Yu between 760 CE and 762 CE, during the Tang Dynasty.

One may visit the exhibition, which will remain open until the end of this year at the China Cultural Centre, 173, Melita Street, Valletta. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to noon, and from 1.30 to 4pm. Entrance is free. Reservation is advised for group visits at events2023ccc@gmail.com.

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whatson@timesofmalta.com