THEATRE

Misery

Masquerade is staging Stephen King’s bestselling novel Misery between February 18 and 26.

Originally written by William Goldman, Misery follows the successful romance novelist who is rescued from a car accident by his ‘number one fan’. The Masquerade production stars Isabel Warrington, Alan Paris and Victor Debono, and is directed by Stephen Oliver with a set design by Romualdo Moretti.

The production, suitable for an audience aged 12 and above, is being held at Blue Box at M Space in Msida. For tickets, visit masquerademalta.com.

Macbeth

The Manoel Theatre’s TOI TOI Learning and Participation programme is putting on a special abridged version of William Shakespeare’s famous play for students on February 16.

Director Stephen Oliver has “demystified” the play in many ways and fused the ancient with the modern. The only characters who speak Elizabethan verse and prose are the Macbeths and the Witches; all other characters speak in contemporary prose. 

The 80-minute adaptation also makes use of film and an original underscore, giving the piece a very cinematic style feel, while at the same time staying loyal to all of the famous Shakespearean soliloquies.

The play stars Anthony Mizzi as Macbeth and Michela Farrugia as Lady Macbeth. It is suitable for an audience aged 11 and above. For tickets, click here.

La Ġenba

Theatre Next Door in Magħtab is staging a play for children aged eight to 12 titled La Ġenba. It is written by Clare Azzopardi, with music by Kris Spiteri and direction by Antonella Mifsud.

The show will be staged from February 17 to 19. For tickets, visit tnd.com.mt.

Mother Savage

US theatre company Piper Theatre is presenting an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s short story La Mère Sauvage at the MCAST theatre, Paola, on February 17 at 8pm.

Set in a small village in the French countryside in the winter of 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, Mother Savage is a powerful tale of revenge and the cost of war on families. The play is directed by Piper’s artistic director John P. McEneny with an original music score by Rob Parker.

The show is being staged as part of the project Għanqbut f’Moħħha, produced by Tyrone Grima and Sharon Bezzina. Piper Theatre will also lead a public workshop on February 16 for performers and will focus on the Grotowskian approach. 

Tickets are available here. For every ticket purchased for Mother Savage, patrons will qualify for a discount on tickets purchased for the final performance Għanqbut f’Moħħha, happening in April. 

The project is supported by Arts Council Malta and MCAST.

MUSIC

Paths of Love

Romanian tenor Andrei Daranyi and soprano Diana Pap, accompanied by well-known pianist Sophia Narmania, will perform in a special concert of romantic songs and arias on St Valentine’s Day, February 14, at Our Lady of Victory church, Valletta at 12.30pm.

The programme includes the timeless Ave Maria by Charles Gounod and Johann Sebastian Bach, Panis Agelicus by Cèsar Franck and Sylvester Wager, O mio babbino caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini and La fleur que tu m’avais jetée from Carmen by Georges Bizet.

Other pieces include Parla più piano from the Godfather by Patrizio Buanne, I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady by Marni Nixon and O Sole mio by Eduardo di Capua, and Giuseppe Verdi’s Brindisi from La Traviata.

Normanna will also provide musical interludes with Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Intermezzo from La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi

After the concert, patrons are invited for free to the cellar of the church to watch a short audio visual show about the building, its history and restoration.

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

MSA anniversary concert

The Malta Society of Arts is celebrating its 100th anniversary with another concert at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta on February 16 at 8pm. 

Performing this time are the Dominic Galea Jazz Trio, featuring Galea on piano, Anthony Saliba on double bass and Joseph Camilleri on drums, together with some special guests.

They will play works from Galea’s albums Tribute (2004), The Legacy (2022) and The Promise (2022) released by Heritage Records.

Tickets are available on showshappening.com.

Ħolmasonika

Local bands Eyes to Argus and The Velts are collaborating on a festival featuring local alternative and electronic artists at Liquid Club in San Ġwann on February 17.

Taking part are The Velts, Eyes To Argus, The Violent Violets, I.YOU, Ajn Il Widen, Kym Pepe, Roża, Elisa Von Brockdorff and Cyber Crimes.

Tickets are available here. For more information, look up the event’s Facebook page.

FILM

Special Valentine’s Film event – Edward Scissorhands

Spazju Kreattiv is filming the 1990 Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands on Valentine's Day at 7pm.

The award-winning picture, certified 12, tells how the solitary life of an artificial man (Johnny Depp), who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands, is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.

For tickets, click here.

The Barber of Seville

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is screening live the Royal Opera House adaptation of Rossino's famous The Barber of Seville on February 15.

The screening starts at 8pm. There will be an encore on Feburary 19 at 3pm. For tickets, click here.

DANCE

ŻfinDays

The annual programme of works introduced in 2019 by ŻfinMalta’s artistic director Paolo Mangiola, runs over two weekends, starting on February 17 at the Valletta Campus Theatre.

Each weekend features a double bill with Nuova Figura by Mangiola and Okokok by Marco D’Agostin, currently associated artist at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, on the first night, and one full-length work on the following two nights.

On the first weekend, audiences will be treated to the restaging of Girls & Boys by award-winning choreographer Roy Assaf, who turns gender dynamics and roles on their head. 

The second weekend will see the return of Weaving Chaos, by Tânia Carvalho, which is inspired by Homer’s Odyssey.

For tickets, visit showshappening.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

Carnival 2023

Festivals Malta is organising the national carnival festivities between February 17 to 21. However, other activities are planned in the run-up to the main event. These include a band parade and defilé in Ħamrun today, and a carnival costumes exhibition at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, which is open until March 5.

The traditional Il-Qarċilla will be staged at the creativity centre in Valletta on February 16 and 17 and in St John Square in Valletta on February 18 and 19. The children’s carnival will be held on February 18, and there will be the carnival ball in Triton Square on February 18 and 19.

For all the details, visit festivals.mt/carnival-programme. Tickets for the carnival activities in St George’s Square, Valletta, are available from ticketline.com.mt.

Meanwhile, other localities in Malta will be holding their own carnival celebrations such as Għaxaq, while Esplora and the Central Public Library, among other entities, are also organising carnival-related events.

In Gozo, the main activities will take place in Victoria and Nadur. Today, there’s the Nadur organised carnival, while between February 17 and 21, Victoria will be hosting the Gozo Regional Carnival and Nadur its spontaneous counterpart. Xagħra will also be having its own celebrations on February 18 and 19. For more information, log on to www.visitgozo.com.

Il-Klikka tal-Klassi

The Institute for Education is organising a social event at the Radisson Blu St Julian’s on February 17, titled Il-Klikka tal-Klassi: Erġajt blajtha? Kritika, demokrazija u l-iskumdità.

A panel of expert guest speakers aim to raise a discussion about the tensions inherent to the implementation of democratic politics. These are Oswald Tanti Rigos, a lecturer at the IfE; playwright, performer, director and author Simone Spiteri; and Bernard Cauchi, head of the Department for History, with the Secretariat for Catholic Education and a co-author of various publications.

Attendance is by registration on the following link.

A Little Killing Hurts No One

After a sold-out tour in Austria and Munich, international touring stand-up comedian Mustafa Algiyadi is performing his solo show at The Black Pearl in Ta’ Xbiex on February 17 at 9pm.

Tickets are available on showshappening.com.

VISUAL ARTS

Crux

Artist Tina Mifsud is presenting five recent paintings at a site-specific installation in 2, Sqaq Vitorja, Birkirkara.

The installation, curated by Andrew Borg Wirth, will run until February 18. Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday 6pm to 9pm and on Sundays from 10am to 1pm. 

The venue is only accessible for pedestrians, and all cars need to be parked around Triq Tumas Fenech, close to St Helen's basilica.

Art exhibition by Sun Hui and Yuexin Kong

Swieqi residents Sun Hui and his wife Yuexin Kong are holding their first local exhibition at the Swieqi local council community hall on February 18 and 19.

The Chinese artists' watercolour and oil paintings are mainly inspired by local architecture, churches, nature and the sea.

The exhibition is opening on February 18 at 10am. Everyone is welcome. Viewing times for both days are from 9am to 5pm.

Experiments in Entropy

The second law of thermodynamics states that as energy is transformed, it incrementally dissipates and tends towards loss, decay and waste. This is the process of entropy; a process of mutual construction and demolition. It applies to societies and to systems, as it does to the natural environment, and has generated curiosity since its peak in art production in the 1960s.

Ten architects, who collectively started architecture school a decade ago, have been asked to investigate trajectories of this narrative in their daily grind and the result is on show at the Valletta Contemporary until February 18. It is curated by Andrew Borg Wirth.

The gallery in East Street, Valletta, is open from Wednesdays to Saturdays from 2 to 7pm. It is closed between Sundays and Tuesdays. Look up the Valletta Contemporary Facebook page for more information. Also read this Times of Malta feature.

Anamnesis

Artist Clint Calleja is presenting an introspective exhibition consisting of paintings, sculptures, photography and installations revolving around the theme of ‘trauma and memory’.

Curated by Kenneth Cassar, this exhibition purports to be an intimate confession through four life-changing tragic chapters that have marked the artist and his family in a short period of time.

The exhibition, supported by Arts Council Malta, runs till February 26. For more information, visit kreattivita.org.

Anthological Art Exhibition

A retrospective exhibition by artist Mario Zammit-Lewis is on display at the parliament building in Valletta until February 28.

The exhibition explores the various aspects of the artist’s oeuvre that is stylistically and thematically very eclectic. A monograph, published to accompany the exhibition, is available for purchase at the venue.

Zammit-Lewis, born to a Maltese father and an Italian mother, has exhibited extensively abroad. He is the recipient of a number of international awards that have celebrated his accomplishments along the years.

Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am till noon.

Fragments

Landscape artist Andew Borg is presenting his fourth solo exhibition, Fragments, at the Palm Court Lounge, at the Phoenicia in Floriana until February 28.

The exhibition, curated by Charlene Vella, features Sicilian landscapes as well Maltese ones, thus expressing the artist’s life of the last few months which has seen him living between the two Mediterranean islands.

The exhibition explores Borg’s current state of mind, one in which the Sicilian landscape is gaining the upper hand as he feels more attachment to the larger neighbour.

What'Chu Looking At? Who You Speaking With? A Gazing All Around

Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta is hosting a series of works by African creatives who explore the countless realities and situations that are present across the 54 countries making part of the continent of Africa.

The exhibition, commissioned by the creativity centre, runs till March 5. For more information, click here.

Ghost Stories

Artist Alfie Gatt depicts moments in the ‘life’ of a girl, whom he refers to as the White Lady in his current exhibition at Mqabba’s Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq.

The figure lovingly haunts a palatial Maltese house, patterned tiles, traditional tal-lira clock and all, thus affirming the ‘Malteseness’ of the narrative. 

According to the artist, the ghost is a metaphor for a person experiencing procrastination.

Ghost Stories, curated by Melanie Erixon for Art Sweven, runs between February 17 and March 12.

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Carnival exhibition

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition of carnival costumes as part of the official carnival celebrations organised by Festivals Malta.

The exhibition runs until March 5. Entrance is free.

Viva Viva l-Karnival: The George Zahra Donation

An exhibition celebrating a donation of carnival memorabilia by carnvial enthusiast George Zahra to Heritage Malta runs at the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa until April 9.

The exhibition comprises official carnival programmes dating as far back as 1930, models for carnival floats, music scores, trophies and participation certificates, among other memorabilia.

Entrance to the exhibition is part and parcel of the Inquisitor’s Palace experience and there is no additional fee. The museum is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm.

Unseen and Unheard: Stories of Women Under Fire

The Storm Petrel Foundation is hosting an archival exhibition that sheds light on overlooked or previously unrecorded war narratives and microhistories from Malta and elsewhere.

It brings together items and artefacts drawn from different collections, with a primary focus on wartime experiences of women and girls.

The exhibition was inspired by a series of conversations between the NGO and Robert Attard, who had found a collection of letters written by a young German woman during World War II, some of which are on display.

The exhibition is organised across five different rooms at the Storm Petrel Foundation’s premises in Attard, with each room representing a different era or focus.

The Storm Petrel Foundation has collaborated with Simon Cusens, Kim Dalli, Sharp Shoot Media, Media Coop, Tayar Foundation for Jewish Heritage in Malta, Sarah Chircop and Giuliana Fenech, Heritage Malta, Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna and Palazzo Falson.

The exhibition runs until April 14. For opening hours and more information, visit the foundation's Facebook page.

Shoah the Holocaust: How Was It Humanly Possible?

The Tayar Foundation for Jewish Heritage in Malta has organised a Holocaust Memorial exhibition which will be displayed at three venues in Malta until June.

The exhibition deals with major historical aspects of the Holocaust, beginning with Jewish life in pre-Holocaust Europe and ending with the liberation of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps across the continent and the remarkable return to life of the survivors.

The display panels feature explanatory texts, with quotes from Jewish victims and survivors, photographs, art documents and videos for eight survivor stories.

The exhibition is open at the German-Maltese Circle in Valletta until March 12, opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 8am to 6pm; from March 13 to April 23 at MCAST Paola, opening hours Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12.15pm (closed on Sundays); and from April 24 to June 4 at the University of Malta, Msida Campus, open from Monday to Friday from 7am to 11pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 4.45pm.

For more information, visit shoah.jewishheritagemalta.org/.

whatson@timesofmalta.com