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Paul Xuereb: The Manoel: A Short History. Midsea Books. 2012. 196 pp.

Paul Xuereb’s revised edition of The Manoel: A Short History provides many new insights into the only well-preserved historical theatre on our islands. Built in the space of a few months under Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena, and later, considerably transformed under the British by architect George Whitmore, Malta’s first public theatre boasts a long and prestigious history.

An interesting work which introduces the reader to the wealth of trends and performances that have been produced at our theatre over the centuries

Paul Xuereb, certainly our longest-serving theatre critic, has been the first to provide a systematic account of the Manoel’s story in 1994 and his new edition has been carefully reworked.

New information has been contributed, which adds interesting dimensions to facts that Xuereb had already written about.

The author goes into more detail about actors, composers or works. Some of the dates provided in the first edition have been corrected: thus we learn that Gounod’s opera Faust was first performed in 1863, and not 1864 as stated in the first edition. This means that the opera was shown in Malta barely one year after its revival on the Paris stage, after its initial lack of success at its launch in 1859 at the Théâtre Lyrique.

In fact, Xuereb’s book would have gained in placing the Manoel more within the European performance context, in order to bring out more clearly the way the development of performing arts on our islands may be seen as part of a much larger continuum.

The most important novelties in the book are to be found in the last chapter, which Xuereb has completely reworked. The chapter reads as a repertory of artists and works, Maltese and foreign, that have been produced at the Manoel during the past 50 years.

It is a useful reference for anyone wanting to understand the new directions the arts have taken in Malta.

Xuereb supplies information as to artists, performances and managerial developments within the Manoel practically up to the time the book was published.

The performances given at the Manoel show clearly how Maltese performing arts have developed in the past 50 years, with new singers, actors, directors, composers and musicians coming to the fore, some going on to prestigious international careers. The chapter also provides very useful information as to the modifications undergone within the theatre building.

Some of the details provided by Xuereb in the first edition have, regrettably, been omitted, such as information about a production in 1801, Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer, probably one of the first British productions to be given at the theatre.

In the last chapter, Xuereb also omits to mention the Mediterranean Conference Centre as a performance venue – perhaps because he has only mentioned purposely-built theatres. While the MCC is the only space in Malta that can take an audience of over 1,000, it lacks the qualities and facilities of a proper theatre.

Although Xuereb provides a wealth of information in the last chapter with regard to the activity taking place at the Manoel, he does not go into any detail about the productions themselves, and certainly does not view any of these developments with a critical eye. This is very surprising, given that he has been providing this newspaper’s readers with attentive criticisms of performances at the Manoel since the late 1960s.

Xuereb generally limits himself to providing facts, leaving the readers to draw their own conclusions. For example, although the author provides information about plays in Maltese given at the Manoel, it appears obvious that theatre in Maltese suffers from a dearth of playwrights capable of writing plays that can hold their own on an international level, which is why so many companies have to recur to translations when putting up productions in the Maltese language.

Xuereb’s book is an interesting work which introduces the reader to a wealth of trends and performances that have been produced at the theatre over the centuries. It can be read easily by anyone interested in a specific aspect of Malta’s cultural history, and provides an initial stepping stone to those interested in delving more deeply into Malta’s performance history.