Iggy Fenech chats to actress Naomi Knight, who will be taking on the role of Abigail in MADC’s and Teatru Manoel's highly-anticipated adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s iconic play, The Jew of Malta.

The first Elizabethan era (1558-1603) was the last age of the Tudors, a royal dynasty that saw England destroy its monasteries, burn its heretics at the stake, become a rich nation, foster an artistic and literary renaissance, and stretch its tentacles to lands far and wide; setting in motion that machinery would one day turn the nation into an empire on which the sun never set.

Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta was written in 1589-90, at the end of the Tudor age, and while the surroundings of the English tragedian definitely had an impact on the story, the play is set quite far from his homeland.

In The Jew of Malta, Marlowe imagines a scenario in which the Great Siege of Malta had never taken place. Instead, Spain and the Ottomans had entered into an agreement which would see Malta pay a tax to avoid conquest. Ten years on, Malta has not paid her dues and no amount of taxation would be enough to appease the Turks.

With the might of the Ottoman Empire about to descend on the tiny island, the then Spanish Grand Master panics and forces every Jew living in Malta to forfeit half their wealth… apart from the richest one of them all, Barabas, whose whole estate is taken away from him, setting his senseless frenzy in motion.

“It may be easy to dismiss a play written in the Elizabethan era as being irrelevant to present day issues,” says Naomi, who will be playing Abigail, Barabas’s loving daughter. “Yet, it doesn’t take much imagination to draw parallels between what happens in the story and what’s taking place all around us. 

 “The Jew of Malta, for example, shows the hypocrisy of the idea of purity; when people are so focused on their ideologies, that individuals who do not fall within their same category are treated unequally, sometimes even to an extent of dehumanisation.”

The play does this through one of its main themes, that of religious conflict. Yet, as things unfold, it also becomes clear that religious conflict is a canvas onto which many different things can be applied, be it race, class, sexuality or even a difference in opinion.

It doesn’t take much imagination to draw parallels between what happens in the story and what’s taking place all around us

“The play also has a Machiavellian theme, which is represented by most characters in the idea that the end justifies the means. The hunger for power is so great in some that it is blinding: A problem that, as citizens of this century, we keep facing whether it’s through the destruction of our environment, the disregard for (equal) human rights, or the idea that economic growth is worth forfeiting any other moral.”

Among all this turmoil and destruction is the character of Abigail, who is one of the few who are truly virtuous. In fact, while women do not play a particularly prominent role in Marlowe’s play, Abigail holds most of the traits that any good and decent person should.

Knight’s portrays Abigail, one of the few truly virtuous characters in the play.

Loyal to her father till the very end, Abigail always states what she believes is the right and honourable thing to do. She is, in many ways, a lone voice of reason in a sea of characters who are either out to gain something for themselves or who are so overcome with rage that they have lost their humanity.

In fact, it is this that makes The Jew of Malta such a timeless and universal play; one that resonates with people not just across the ages but across cultures, religions and beliefs.

“Moreover, although the play is written in the Elizabethan era, which may sound daunting for some, the language is very straightforward, sincere and understandable for the audience – at least when compared to other plays written at the time like Shakespeare,” Naomi continues. “It’s a fast-paced piece, which focuses on dynamic action rather than frilly words, so it manages to keep the audience on their toes from beginning to end.”

To bring the piece closer to home, director Chris Gatt has decided to set it in modern times, but will retain some baroque elements in both set and costumes. 

“Chris is a fountain of knowledge. We have spent long rehearsals discussing the era, the conflicts of that time, Jewish practices and experiences. Moreover, discussing the many parallels with today’s society and specific scenes which mirror historical events has been incredibly interesting, although to know what I mean exactly by this, you will have to come and see the show!”

The play, which is on at Manoel Theatre as of next week, will also mark the beginning of a particularly busy time for Naomi herself. Indeed, on top of taking on the role of Diane in the upcoming TV series L-Għarusa, she will also be starring in a number of short films, which have been shot throughout the past few months and which will premiere in the year to come. But before that, there’s The Jew of Malta. So catch Naomi, as well as theatre heavyweight Mikhail Basmadijan and Anthony Edridge in The Jew of Malta at the Manoel on Friday, Saturday and next Sunday, and again between October 12 and 14.

The play is supported by the Project Support Grant, Malta Arts Fund – Arts Council Malta.