Moving the ghoul post
It's not often we can trail a completely new theatrical venue, but we are doing just that today, with Masquerade's March production of The Rocky Horror Show in the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre at Ta Qali.Tony and Veronica Bezzina's theatre company...
It's not often we can trail a completely new theatrical venue, but we are doing just that today, with Masquerade's March production of The Rocky Horror Show in the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre at Ta Qali.
Tony and Veronica Bezzina's theatre company Masquerade is putting on Richard O'Brien's cult hit musical in the vast heated marquee in the national park grounds slap bang in the middle of Malta. We are promised excellent sight lines from every seat in the house... or tent. Plus the fact that seats are tiered, so no neck craning or restricted vision of the action on stage.
The production's designers have created a suitably intimate space within the marquee and... there is lots and lots of parking space outside.
Rocky Horror has been a long time coming to Malta and there are a number of reasons for that. Perhaps foremost among these is the fact that, in the past, it was considered too risqué for "immature" Maltese audiences. It would seem that a musical about a cross-dressing ghoul and his repellent sidekick, plus a liberal smattering of scatological humour was too much for our censors way back in the dark days of the "pogroms".
Mercifully times change and indeed in the year 2007 the content of The Rocky Horror Show may be deemed tame, in comparison with most of the stuff seen on stage and screen.
Masquerade is the perfect company for Rocky Horror. It has already produced a number of hit musicals at The Manoel Theatre, The Mediterranean Conference Centre and St James. Among some of its most successful shows have been The King And I, Seussical the Musical, Rock Nativity and a stupendous production of Cabaret.
But Rocky Horror is something else. It originally opened in a small rundown theatre in the King's Road London in 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, in collaboration with Australian theatre director Jim Sharman. O'Brien himself had the plum role of Riff Raff, Dr Frank N Furter's Lurch-like sidekick, while Tim Curry inked his name into theatrical immortality with his take on Frank. In Masquerade's version Riff Raff will be played by Maltese actor Chris Dingli, returning to Malta - albeit briefly - after spending two years in London training for a career in theatre. The narrator will be played by Malcolm Galea.
Frank N Furter will be played by English actor and singer Matthew Simpson. Other UK thesps are Abigail Williams as Columbia and Roger Rowley as the eponymous Rocky.
The nerdish Brad, every mention of whose name should be greeted with audience cries of "a***hole!" will be portrayed by Matthew Anastasi. The all-American virgin Janet will be Alexandra Camilleri Warne, who in turn should be greeted with shouts of "slut!"
The liberal hurling of rice, toast, toilet rolls and even water from water pistols is encouraged at appropriate moments in the show - (Not advisable at either The Manoel Theatre or the MCC... which is obviously why neither was considered as a suitable venue) - is also a traditional feature of Rocky Horror productions.
Many of the show's numbers have become cemented into the consciousness of Rocky aficionados. Damn it Janet, Sweet Transvestite and the seminal dance number Time Warp are just three of the show's classics.
Andy Reiss, to be seen in his own right later this season at The Manoel Theatre in another Masquerade production Beyond The Barricade, will be the musical director. The show's set is the work of Harry Borg and Peter Howitt, while the costumes have been designed by Ernest Camilleri.
The Rocky Horror Show may have been a long time getting here, but now that it has it really is not to be missed.
Tony and Veronica Bezzina's theatre company Masquerade is putting on Richard O'Brien's cult hit musical in the vast heated marquee in the national park grounds slap bang in the middle of Malta. We are promised excellent sight lines from every seat in the house... or tent. Plus the fact that seats are tiered, so no neck craning or restricted vision of the action on stage.
The production's designers have created a suitably intimate space within the marquee and... there is lots and lots of parking space outside.
Rocky Horror has been a long time coming to Malta and there are a number of reasons for that. Perhaps foremost among these is the fact that, in the past, it was considered too risqué for "immature" Maltese audiences. It would seem that a musical about a cross-dressing ghoul and his repellent sidekick, plus a liberal smattering of scatological humour was too much for our censors way back in the dark days of the "pogroms".
Mercifully times change and indeed in the year 2007 the content of The Rocky Horror Show may be deemed tame, in comparison with most of the stuff seen on stage and screen.
Masquerade is the perfect company for Rocky Horror. It has already produced a number of hit musicals at The Manoel Theatre, The Mediterranean Conference Centre and St James. Among some of its most successful shows have been The King And I, Seussical the Musical, Rock Nativity and a stupendous production of Cabaret.
But Rocky Horror is something else. It originally opened in a small rundown theatre in the King's Road London in 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, in collaboration with Australian theatre director Jim Sharman. O'Brien himself had the plum role of Riff Raff, Dr Frank N Furter's Lurch-like sidekick, while Tim Curry inked his name into theatrical immortality with his take on Frank. In Masquerade's version Riff Raff will be played by Maltese actor Chris Dingli, returning to Malta - albeit briefly - after spending two years in London training for a career in theatre. The narrator will be played by Malcolm Galea.
Frank N Furter will be played by English actor and singer Matthew Simpson. Other UK thesps are Abigail Williams as Columbia and Roger Rowley as the eponymous Rocky.
The nerdish Brad, every mention of whose name should be greeted with audience cries of "a***hole!" will be portrayed by Matthew Anastasi. The all-American virgin Janet will be Alexandra Camilleri Warne, who in turn should be greeted with shouts of "slut!"
The liberal hurling of rice, toast, toilet rolls and even water from water pistols is encouraged at appropriate moments in the show - (Not advisable at either The Manoel Theatre or the MCC... which is obviously why neither was considered as a suitable venue) - is also a traditional feature of Rocky Horror productions.
Many of the show's numbers have become cemented into the consciousness of Rocky aficionados. Damn it Janet, Sweet Transvestite and the seminal dance number Time Warp are just three of the show's classics.
Andy Reiss, to be seen in his own right later this season at The Manoel Theatre in another Masquerade production Beyond The Barricade, will be the musical director. The show's set is the work of Harry Borg and Peter Howitt, while the costumes have been designed by Ernest Camilleri.
The Rocky Horror Show may have been a long time getting here, but now that it has it really is not to be missed.