maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2024
2
BOOKS
Olivier-Nominated 'Blackout Songs'
makes Maltese debut at Spazju Kreattiv
FOLLOWING its acclaimed
run in the UK and a 2023 Ol-
ivier Award nomination, Black-
out Songs by Joe White is set
to premiere at Spazju Kreat-
tiv Theatre this October. The
play, translated into Maltese as
Għanjiet il-Baħħ by Mark Vella,
will be directed by Toni Attard.
Għanjiet il-Baħħ explores the
story of two individuals, por-
trayed by Simone Spiteri and
Jacob Piccinino, who meet at
an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
meeting and form a passionate,
intense bond. As their relation-
ship spirals between sobriety
and relapse, they begin to ques-
tion whether they have crossed
paths before – but not before
"one last quick drink."
With its unique staging in-
the-round at Spazju Kreattiv,
the production immerses the
audience in a raw, emotion-
ally charged atmosphere. Di-
rector Toni Attard highlights
the universality of the play's
themes, including addiction
and self-discovery, which he
believes will deeply resonate
with Maltese audiences. "Mark
Vella's translation brings rich
emotional depth and cultural
relevance to the dialogue, while
still capturing the original's in-
tensity," said Toni Attard.
This will be the first interna-
tional staging of Blackout Songs,
following its success in the UK,
where it was nominated for a
prestigious Olivier Award and
won the OffWestEnd Award.
The Maltese production will
be performed in Maltese, with
English surtitles.
Għanjiet il-Baħħ opens on
Friday, October 18th, at Spaz-
ju Kreattiv Theatre and runs
until Sunday October 27th. For
more information and ticket
bookings, visit www.kreattivi-
ta.org.
