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CULTURE THEATRE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 SEPTEMBER 2019 8 AS part of Teatru Malta's Proġett Klassiċi, a yearly initiative aimed at producing modern classics in Maltese, the National Theatre company will be presenting one of Ionesco's masterpieces this September at the Esplora Plan- etarium hall in Kalkara. Rinoċeronti, translated by Clare Azzopardi and Albert Gatt, will be directed by Michael Fenech and is a translation of one of Ionesco's acclaimed plays and part of his Berenger cycle: Rhinocéros (Rhinoceros). This wide-eyed absurdist piece of theatre deals with conform- ism, mass hysteria and aliena- tion amongst other interesting motifs. Rinoċeronti will form part of the second edition of the Proġett Klassiċi series titled Tli- et Xogħlijiet ta' Eugene Ionesco edited by Marco Galea in col- laboration with the University of Malta and will be published alongside Maltese transla- tions of Ionesco's La Cantatrice Chauve (The Bald Soprano) and La Leçon (The Lesson). Throughout this dark com- edy it's apparent that something very absurd is going on, in a town where nothing absurd ever does. In this town, a very normal town, full of people who lead very ordinary, cereal box family sort of lives, something's about to happen, something strange. But what happens when those people, those very same normal people you thought you knew so well, begin to change? Do you change too? Do you conform? Or do you dare to rebel? Rinoceronti stars Daniel Azzo- pardi as Berenger, the hero who is alternately frightened, defiant, desperate, frustrated, impotent, self-loathing, envious and ulti- mately completely unhinged by the looming "epidemic" in a way that is immediately relatable to audiences. The production also stars local favourites: Andre Mangion, An- tonella Axisa, Kim Dalli, Naomi Said, Magda von Kuilenberg, Joe Depasquale, Anthony Ellul, Si- mon Curmi, Aaron Fenech and Daniela Carabott Pawley. Rinoceronti will run from 12 until 15 September at Esplora. For tickets and more informa- tion visit kultura.mt or call 21220255. Michael Fenech directs Teatru Malta's dark comedy Rinoceronti