Take three of the - arguably - best actors on the Maltese stage, add one of the most promising young thesps to emerge recently: Then top this off with a play written 30 years ago by a Maltese exile in his own language and... if everything turns out as it should, you have all the ingredients for a stage hit.
Next weekend, The Manoel Theatre will present the high point of their season so far: Mario Philip Azzopardi's Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta for three nights.
Heading up the cast are John Suda, Monica Attard, Ninette Micallef and young Sean Bugeja. Mr Suda needs no introduction to Maltese audiences. He has been acting for more than 30 years and he's still to claim his KartAnzjan. And his director's pleasure at having such an experienced and distinguished player is that his cast is palpable. In Mr Azzopardi's opinion, Mr Suda is as fine an actor as he has ever encountered... and he's worked with some of the best in Canada and the US. Certainly Mr Suda is one of our very best. His performances are always sensitive and honest. In fact, he is virtually incapable of giving a rubbish performance.
The same can be said of Monica Attard. She recently shone as the mother superior in Masquerade's brilliant production of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt at St James. Ms Attard's great strength is her range. Over the years she has done the lot from tragic Shakespearean heroines to revue... that's quite a jump. In Mr Azzopardi's play she plays a geriatric noblewoman and who can doubt that she will bring to this character an equally deep understanding of her craft.
Also riding high in the premier league of Maltese actresses is Ninette Micallef. She plays the third member of this aging triumvirate in Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta. Ms Micallef has also enjoyed a long one - over 30 years - and hugely successful career in theatre, where she has also done the lot... yes including revue! She is one of our very finest character actresses and always adds a degree of sensitivity to every part she plays.
Sean Buhagiar, who plays the role of Joey in Sulari, is the youngest of the protagonists by several decades. He is a product of the Mikelang Borg Drama Centre and was recently seen in the Unifaun production of Equus, where he played the difficult and taxing role of Alan Strang. By general consensus Mr Buhagiar scored a considerable success in this, his first leading role.
The cast of Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta is completed by another fine actress, Natalie Micallef, plus the extremely promising Isabella Scicluna.
The obligatory British sailors, who used to make up the bulk of trade in the bars of Strada Stretta in the years before and just after World War II, will be portrayed by Chris Spiteri, Edward Degaetano and Jean Pierre Agius. The fact that so demanding a director as Mr Azzopardi is delighted with his cast of actors is sufficient to put this production right at the top of most people's must-see list.
• Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta will be being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 p.m. Tickets can be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online: bookings@ teatrumanoel.com.mt.
Next weekend, The Manoel Theatre will present the high point of their season so far: Mario Philip Azzopardi's Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta for three nights.
Heading up the cast are John Suda, Monica Attard, Ninette Micallef and young Sean Bugeja. Mr Suda needs no introduction to Maltese audiences. He has been acting for more than 30 years and he's still to claim his KartAnzjan. And his director's pleasure at having such an experienced and distinguished player is that his cast is palpable. In Mr Azzopardi's opinion, Mr Suda is as fine an actor as he has ever encountered... and he's worked with some of the best in Canada and the US. Certainly Mr Suda is one of our very best. His performances are always sensitive and honest. In fact, he is virtually incapable of giving a rubbish performance.
The same can be said of Monica Attard. She recently shone as the mother superior in Masquerade's brilliant production of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt at St James. Ms Attard's great strength is her range. Over the years she has done the lot from tragic Shakespearean heroines to revue... that's quite a jump. In Mr Azzopardi's play she plays a geriatric noblewoman and who can doubt that she will bring to this character an equally deep understanding of her craft.
Also riding high in the premier league of Maltese actresses is Ninette Micallef. She plays the third member of this aging triumvirate in Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta. Ms Micallef has also enjoyed a long one - over 30 years - and hugely successful career in theatre, where she has also done the lot... yes including revue! She is one of our very finest character actresses and always adds a degree of sensitivity to every part she plays.
Sean Buhagiar, who plays the role of Joey in Sulari, is the youngest of the protagonists by several decades. He is a product of the Mikelang Borg Drama Centre and was recently seen in the Unifaun production of Equus, where he played the difficult and taxing role of Alan Strang. By general consensus Mr Buhagiar scored a considerable success in this, his first leading role.
The cast of Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta is completed by another fine actress, Natalie Micallef, plus the extremely promising Isabella Scicluna.
The obligatory British sailors, who used to make up the bulk of trade in the bars of Strada Stretta in the years before and just after World War II, will be portrayed by Chris Spiteri, Edward Degaetano and Jean Pierre Agius. The fact that so demanding a director as Mr Azzopardi is delighted with his cast of actors is sufficient to put this production right at the top of most people's must-see list.
• Sulari Fuq Strada Stretta will be being staged at the Manoel Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 p.m. Tickets can be obtained from the booking office by phone on 2124 6389, by e-mail: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or online: bookings@ teatrumanoel.com.mt.