Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1515545
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2024 COMMERCIAL THE year 2024 marks an impor- tant milestone for local theatre company Theatre Anon, who will be celebrating 30 years of creating challenging and excit- ing theatrical productions. To commemorate this, Teat- ru Manoel has commissioned a re-run of two of the company's well-loved performances for a double-bill event at Teatru Ma- noel between the 15th and 18th of February. Both performanc- es have an element of puppetry and appeal to audiences of all ages. Set up in 1994, Theatre Anon is made up of performers and theatre makers who collabo- rate and contribute directly to the creative process which blurs the lines between the di- verse elements of production including direction, set, cos- tumes, props and light design. Daqxejn ta' Requiem lil Leli Theatre Anon transforms Im- manuel Mifsud's meditation on the life of an ordinary man into a theatrical explosion, a cele- bration of life and creativity. Backed by an 8-piece chamber orchestra, Leli, represented by a life-size puppet, relives the main chapters of his life during his last moments on Earth in a show guaranteed to mesmer- ise and delight in equal meas- ure. The requiem chronicles the last moments in the life of Leli, who, while in a coma, re-reads the main chapters of his life, most notably his child- hood, where he encounters his parents, relatives, friends, and teachers. As he gets closer to his last breath, Leli's visions be- come more poetic and charm- ing with merry-go-round white horses, butterflies, chocolates, toy trains and pretty women. Daqxejn ta' Requiem lil Leli is performed in Maltese, with English surtitles translated by Albert Gatt. It features music composed and conducted by Kris Spiteri, visuals created by Vince Briffa, and direction by Paul Portelli. The cast is made up of Doug- las Comley, Sandra Mifsud, Ja- cob Piccinino, Liliana Portelli, Paul Portelli and Pierre Sta- frace. Daqxejn ta' Requiem lil Leli premiered at the Malta International Arts Festival in July 2018, and will be running at Teatru Manoel on the 15th of February at 8pm, Saturday 17th at 8pm, and Sunday 18th at 7pm. The Little Prince In this performance Theatre Anon display their unique style of theatre, mixing animation, puppetry and live action in a show which will delight young and old alike through an inter- pretation of the classic book 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Reimagined through a newly devised script adapted by Jes Camilleri, the story follows a young prince on his journey across various planets throughout space, ad- dressing themes such as love, loneliness, friendship and loss. With specially commissioned animations by Franny Gee, the retelling of this literary French classic brings together the age- old magic of puppetry and the wonderful wizardry of mod- ern technology, directed by Chris Gatt and performed by Jes Camilleri, Charlotte Grech, Liliana Portelli, Paul Portelli, and Pierre Stafrace. This pro- duction has an original sound- score by Albert Garzia, who will also be performing live. Get ready to be enchanted by the Little Prince as he journeys through the universe in a the- atrical feast for heart and mind. The Little Prince was first commissioned by the ŻiguŻa- jg International Arts Festival for Children and Young People in 2021. It will be performed again on Friday the 16th of February at 8pm, Saturday the 17th at 3pm, and Sunday the 18th at 3pm at Teatru Manoel. For more information on The- atre Anon's 30th anniversary double bill, and to book tickets, visit https://teatrumanoel.mt or call (+356) 21246389. Teatru Manoel celebrates Theatre Anon's 30th anniversary with two iconic productions Scenes from Daqxejn ta' Requiem lil Leli (above) and The Little Prince (left)