Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1004621
| SUNDAY • 15 JULY 2018 maltatoday 11 ILHANINA Maddalena is the new musical by esteemed maes- tro Dominic Galea, penned by Simon Bartolo with lyrics by Loranne Vella. Yes, those two; the same team of the best selling novels It-Triloġija tal-Fiddien. That explains only part of the excitement surrounding this production. Dominic Galea returns after last year's success with Balzu- netta Towers, which was the most attended event at the Malta Arts Festival, enjoying sold-out nights and lots of ac- colades. The music of Il-Hanina Maddalena is as epic as the sto- ry. In fact, it tackles the story of one of our history's best hidden secrets, the story of the Magda- lene sisters in Valletta. The musical sees the return of Malta's most beloved angel. This time she is wearing a habit. In fact Chiara will be playing one of the lead roles, that of Il-Madre. She is joined by our much loved pop star, Amber, who promises to be in her best form as the hair- raising Serafina; an occultist turned nun. Ca- terina Vitale, a mean mother who wants her ways, will have the distinctive high-sounding voice of Leon- tine whilst the multi-talented Dorothy Bezzi- na will be Teresa Morales, a heart-warming prostitute who wants the best for her daughter. Many other theatre heavy- weights and talented new-com- ers will be joining the grandest monastery this summer. The likes of Samaria Bezzina, Ish- mael Grech, Jesmond Tedesco Triccas, Dominic Cini, Alex- ander Gatesy Lewis, Rachel Tedesco Triccas, Karl Cassar, Rachel Vella, Christine Franca- lanza, Gilbert Formosa, Marce- line Galea and the young Haley Azzopardi complete the cast along with an ensemble made up of some of the best actors on the island such as Andre Mangion and Jamie Cardona amongst others. The show is directed by Thea- tre stalwart Josette Ciappara and promises to be a spectacle not to be missed. The musical will premiere on Wednesday 18 July outdoors at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. More shows will follow on 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 July. Tickets can be found on www.ilhanina.com and more information from 2339 7000. CULTURE ENVIRONMENT Geckoes often inspire fear, maybe because they often come out at night or because they crawl around walls inside our homes, or maybe because we still believe old granny warn- ings that geckoes will make our skin go scabby and flake off. We have two species of these innocuous, rather bulgy-eyed reptiles in Malta, and the more familiar one is the Turk- ish gecko (M. wiżgħa tad-djar). It's that nice, often pinky- skinned, stripy-tailed crawly creature that snoozes by day behind cupboards and picture frames, waiting for the night. No, not to base-jump on our faces as we sleep (can we grow out of these now please!) but to feast on silverfish, mosqui- toes, flies, clothes moths and cockroaches that would oth- erwise have free rein around our home. Oh yes, geckoes are very good allies to have around the house. They are our free pest control secret agents.By the way, despite its name, the Turkish gecko was not brought over from Turkey – as far as we know it's native to the Maltese Islands and has been here before humans landed. No fruit is more ubiquitous throughout the Maltese sum- mer than the melon in all its varieties. Locally grown melons start appearing at farmer's mar- kets from the spring months and all the way through the winter months, but it is the most refreshing in the hot sum- mer period. Next time you are buying bettiegħ from your farmer, ask if they grow or know about the Maltese variety, which is a smaller and sweeter fruit and requires less water to grow. If you have green fingers, you can also get your hands on some of these heirloom seeds by con- tacting the Diversification and Competitiveness Directorate at Għammieri who are working to collect seeds from Maltese origin that are more adapted to this climate. FoE Malta published the AgroKatina report about the local fruit & vegetable supply chain, and the pocket guide highlighting when local fruits & veggies are in season. Find out more on www.foemalta.org/ agrokatina, where you can also order a free copy of the pocket guide. 617. TURKISH GECKO Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 520: Find out more and try our refreshing melon and mint sorbet: https://foemalta.org/fab/melon/ What's in season - July Text Victor Falzon Photo Guido Bonett What is the inspiration behind Il-Hanina Maddalena? A group of women, both local and foreign, who lived together as cloistered residents at the Monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena in Merchant Street, Valletta. They range from young virgins to prostitutes to nuns. Their leader is one Melania Paulucci, quite an ex- traordinary character. Who is behind the musical? Il-Hanina Maddalena is part of the Malta In- ternational Arts Festival and therefore backed by The Valletta 2018 Foundation and the Mal- ta Arts Council. The people behind it are Sean Buhagiar, Dominic Galea, Jason Micallef, Al- bert Marshall, Josette Ciappara and of course, ourselves. Can you give a brief outline of the plot? At the end of the 18th Century, three teenage virgins enter the Monastery of the Magdelene nuns in Valletta. One of them is separated from her mother who, as a prosti- tute, is deemed unfit to raise her daughter, an- other one ends up in the monastery after her mother dies and the girl is too young to fend for herself, while the third goes to the mon- astery of her own volition, to escape from her cruel mother. Not all is as it seems behind the monastery walls, however, since the Mother Superior is actually the Grand Master's not- so-secret lover. Is the Maltese public appreciative of musicals? Definitely. We love musicals so much that many of us travel to London and further to attend these shows. It makes sense then, to also have our own homegrown musicals, here in Malta. What are your future plans? Simon: I just finished writing a book for children - Il-Kreatura tal-Bir - which will be published later this year. The film Ħabbilni Ħa Nirbaħ, based on my stage play of the same title, is due to come out in autumn and I've got other projects in store, including song-writing which I'm very excited about. Loranne: As part of Barumbara Collec- tive the next big project is Verbi: mill-bieb 'il ġewwa, a multi-disciplinary performance based on a collection of short stories of mine, set to take place this December at Valletta Contemporary. BI PRODUZZJONI TA' SEAN BUHAGIAR MUSICAL ORIĠINALI MINN DAWK LI ĠABULKOM BALZUNET TA TOWERS IMNEBBAĦ MINN STEJJER VERA biljetti minn ilhanina.com jew 23397000 It's finally here: Il-Hanina Maddalena opens this week The new Maltese musical expected to be this summer's sell-out event kicks off on Wednesday at Pjaza Teatru Rjal Behind the scenes ... with Simon and Loranne Simon Bartolo signing his latest book, A Seat at the Table