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2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 SEPTEMBER 2026 THEATRE Olivier winner Layton Williams to lead one- off musical theatre workshop in Valletta OLIVIER Award winner and Tony nominee Layton Williams will lead a public musical thea- tre workshop in Malta for the first time on Saturday 31 Oc- tober, open to anyone aged 16 and over, at every level of perfor- mance experience. The West End and Broadway star is being brought to the is- land by Finesse Events, the Mal- ta-based events company led by producer Jo Caruana. The work- shop is the latest event in the company's drive to bring inter- national talent to Malta for the benefit of local audiences and performers, through live pro- ductions and learning opportu- nities such as these. Williams arrives in Malta fol- lowing his run as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium and his To- ny-nominated turn as the Ice- berg in Titanique on Broadway, the Titanic parody musical built around the songs of Céline Dion. The same role won him the 2025 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical when the show played at Lon- don's Criterion Theatre. He made his West End debut at the age of 12 in the title role of Billy Elliot The Musical and went on to play Jamie in Every- body's Talking About Jamie in the West End and on tour, as well as the Emcee in Cabaret. Television audiences know him from the BBC comedy Bad Ed- ucation and from Strictly Come Dancing, where he reached the 2023 final. The workshop builds on the momentum of Finesse Events' most recent project, the musical comedy String V SPITTA. Fresh from sell-out runs at London's Soho Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe, the show transferred to Malta in May and sold out all four performances at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab. "String V SPITTA was a suc- cess, but I was most proud of the workshop that followed it – 25 local performers in a room with the people who made the show, learning by doing," says Jo Caru- ana. "Layton coming here is the next step. He is one of the most accomplished musical theatre performers of his generation, and he is known to be very gen- erous with his talents. For any- one in Malta who performs, or wants to, this is a rare chance to learn from the very best." Caruana, whose other busi- nesses within the Finesse Group operate largely in the digital and communications space, sees the arts as a critical counterweight to a life lived on screens. "Thea- tre puts young people in a room together. It asks them to take a risk in front of each other and rewards them with something no screen can replicate – the joy of making something together," she says. As this will be the only pub- lic workshop Williams will lead during his visit to the island – and has extremely limited plac- es available – early booking is strongly advised. "This will be my first time working in Malta and I can't wait," says Williams. "I'm real- ly looking forward to spending time with local performers of every level, sharing what I've learnt and learning from them, too. I started out in rooms like this one and would encourage anyone with a passion for musi- cal theatre to come along." Presented by Finesse Events and supported by The Phoenicia Malta, the workshop with Layton Williams will take place from 2pm-4pm on Saturday 31 Octo- ber, at ZfinMalta Studios, Med- iterranean Conference Centre, Valletta. Tickets are priced at €95 and available now at www. finesse-events.com. West end hit Everybody's Talking About Jamie makes its Malta debut NAMED "a fizzing, feeling instant hit" by The Guardian, Everybody's Talking About Jamie will soon take to the stage in Malta for the first time. The musical opens on 31 October at Sir Temi Zammit Hall for a limited performance run produced by Revamp MT – hot on the heels of the company's recent successes, School of Rock and Amélie. Inspired by the true story of Jamie Campbell, Everybody's Talking About Jamie follows 16-year-old Jamie New, who knows he was born to stand out, even if the world is not always ready to accept him. With his mother Margaret and best friend Pritti behind him, he sets out to become a drag queen in Sheffield. The musical tells Jamie's story about identity, self-discov- ery, facing difficult truths and daring to take centre stage on your own terms. Featuring dazzling musical numbers and sharp wit, Everybody's Talk- ing About Jamie is written by Tom MacRae and Dan Gilles- pie Sells from an idea by Jon- athan Butterell, and even be- came a film in 2021. A stellar cast brings the story to life in the show's Malta debut. Mal- ta's own drag artists Chucky Bartolo and Tristan Zammit, plus UK drag performer Lew- is Mullan, join the cast along- side Raphael Pace as Jamie, Leontine, Alan Paris, Maria Buckle, Alexia Manduca, Jake Curti and Claudette Pace in her return to the stage. An ensemble of experienced local performers completes the line up, including Paul Portelli and Lawrence Gray. Artistic direc- tor Dorothy Bezzina and mu- sical director Edward Mifsud lead Revamp MT's creative team, which also includes cho- reographer Luke Brincat, set designers Vincienne Spiteri Bezzina and Karl Mohnani, sound designer Sergio Costa and lighting designers Donald Camilleri and Chris Gauci. Revamp MT's production of Everybody's Talking About Jamie runs at Sir Temi Zam- mit Hall, Msida, on 31 October and 6, 7 November at 8pm and 1, 8 November at 4pm. This production is recommended for ages 12 and over. Tickets are available from www.show- shappening.com/revampmt/ jamie. Everybody's Talking About Jamie is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd (www.con- cordtheatricals.co.uk). This project is supported by Arts Council Malta and Visit Malta.