Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491702
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 FEBRUARY 2023 5 THEATRE Teatru Manoel to stage Puccini's Tosca in March The production, featuring and directed by top opera star José Cura, will be the first full opera to be staged post- pandemic at the Manoel. OPERA-LOVERS, take note: as Malta's operatic home, Teatru Manoel is soon set to stage its first full opera following the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking to the national theatre stage in March 2023, an all-star cast – directed and joined by international opera star, Ar- gentine tenor José Cura – will bring to life one of the world's most loved operas, Giacomo Puccini's Tosca. The Teatru Manoel and Val- letta Cultural Agency co-pro- duction, in collaboration with Bank of Valletta, features Cura as Cavaradossi, Tanya Ivanova as Tosca and Carlos Almaguer as Scarpia, alongside a top local cast including Alan Sciberras, Albert Buttigieg, Louis Cas- sar and Nadia Vella. The choir from KorMalta also enhances Puccini's romantic score under the direction of chorus master Riccardo Bianchi, against the backdrop of the Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra conducted by Mario De Rose. "Apart from myself, my team and the two other prin- cipal roles, everybody else on stage will be Maltese, from my friends of the Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra to the choir, the technicians, dressers, make-up artists, and so on," ex- plains Maestro Cura. "Our mis- sion is to strengthen Maltese theatrical structures so that we can repeat such beautiful pro- jects in the future. With the hard work of the Manoel fam- ily, the support of the Valletta Cultural Agency, the always attentive watch of the Minister for Culture and the encourage- ment of the Maltese audience, we can enjoy this production and amplify this success in the years to come." Following tempestuous opera singer Floria Tosca as she fights to save her lover Cavaradossi from police chief Scarpia, To- sca is a tragic story of passion, jealousy, love, lust, murder and political intrigue. Meeting the challenges of staging this fa- mous opera fan-favourite, the new production at the Manoel features costumes designed by Silvia Collazuol and an inno- vative set and stage design by Cura himself. "In order to tackle the Ma- noel's pit space limitations, which have always prevented the staging of big operas, I have devised a structural change in the use of the stage to be able to use a full symphonic or- chestra. This idea could signal a new staging approach which will bring the big operas to the Manoel in the future" Maestro Cura reveals. "Therefore, the audience should be ready to see and listen, with an open mind, to something different to the usual operatic setting, which traditionally has the orchestra in the pit and the action be- hind. Actually, we are going to do the opposite – come and see!" The Teatru Manoel and Val- letta Cultural Agency co-pro- duction of Giacomo Pucci- ni's Tosca will be performed at Teatru Manoel on 5, 8, 10 and 12 March 2023, with all performances at 7.30pm. This production is suitable for au- diences aged 14 and above. Tickets are available via www. teatrumanoel.mt or by email to bookings@teatrumanoel.mt and telephone on (+356) 2124 6389. Jose Cura Tanya Ivanova