As one of the few international plays to be set in Malta, The Jew of Malta has been a rarity on the Maltese stage and it has only been performed once before and never at the national theatre. That changes on Friday evening, with Christopher Marlowe’s classic play opening at the Manoel Theatre under the direction of Chris Gatt and produced by the MADC and the Manoel itself.
“It’s fantastic to see this show on stage again,” Mr Gatt says, adding he was actually in the 1981 production, playing Don Mathias. “Marlowe’s voice is an interesting one, both poetically and, more importantly, dramatically. His interest in the world of politics, religion, corruption and power games is very relevant. His comedy, on the hand, is the forbearer of Black Adder; dark, cynical and laced with slapstick,” he remarks.
The play itself was probably written in 1589 or 1590. As one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, Marlowe created a fast-paced plot full of conflict, intrigue and revenge in which a struggle for supremacy takes place between Spain, the Ottoman Empire and the Mediterranean. It is a story about revenge that cascades into a series of ever-more murderous events with disastrous consequences and it is set in an alternative Malta where the Great Siege never happened.
Mr Gatt has chosen to set his version in Valletta today. “It is a pretty classical staging except that we have placed it in an alternative 21st century Malta, very similar to our own,” he says. “We are used to mixing the modern with our Baroque tastes, so the setting follows a similar design.
“I have to say, rediscovering Marlowe, while working with a wonderful bunch of performers and an enthusiastic creative and backstage team from the MADC and the Manoel Theatre, has definitely made this a memorable one for me. It’s an opportunity to reimagine Malta while enjoying the language and imagination of this great playwright.”
The Jew of Malta boasts a strong cast including Mikhail Basmadjian, Naomi Knight, Antony Edridge, Erica Muscat, Edward Thorpe, Philip Leone-Ganado, Nathan Brimmer, Alex Weenink, Waylon D’Mello, Joe Depasquale, Maxine Brimmer, Helen Osborne, Joseph Zammit, Daniela Carabott Pawley, Rakelle Portelli, Luke Bugeja Gauci, Keith Dimech, Yazi Muscat, Jes Sciberras, and Nicole Schembri.
Original music has been composed especially for the play by Albert Garzia and the choreography is by Francesco Nicodeme.
The production is supported by the Project Support Grant, Malta Arts Fund within the Arts Council Malta.
The Jew of Malta opens tonight at the Manoel Theatre and will run tomorrow and Sunday, as well as on October 12, 13 and 14.
All performances start at 8pm, except tomorrow when it starts at 6pm. For more information dial 2124 6389 or go to www.teatrumanoel.com.
Classification 14+.
