Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/794736
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 MARCH 2017 39 This Week Inspector angst at the Manoel Theatre Carmine Lauri becomes patron of the Ian Tomlin Scholarship Trust "RAGE. Like lead bound to my feet, pulling me down. No escape. Into the abyss, down, down... that's because I'm over 60 years old and men, once over 60, get angrier, or so I was told. Especially Maltese men. But then, I'm told, Maltese men are born angry and their women deal with it by pretending to agree with them. Which makes me angrier, because now I know that every time my wife agrees with me, she's only treating me like a fool..." This is the English version of the opening lines for the drama Fl-Isem tal-Missier, u tal-Iben u tal-Ispettur Bonnici (in the name of the Father, and the Son, and Inspector Bonnici), a new original play by Mario Philip Azzopardi, being presented this March at the Manoel Theatre by Staġun Teatru Malti. This is the 14th production by this company which presents only brand new original plays in Maltese, by Maltese and about the Maltese. They have been doing so, with one success after the other, over the past eight years. This next one is part one of a tril- ogy to be presented at the Manoel in the next three years, with the second part, il-Glorja tal-Ispettur Bonnici, slated for the 2018/19 sea- son and Ave Maria għall-Ispettur Bonnici for the 2019/20 season. Mario Micallef plays the lead. "One of the most difficult parts in my career. It is a complex, tragic character caught in a dilemma of his own making. He is a very de- termined and principled man but when he realises that law and jus- tice do not necessarily go hand in hand, he decides to help the sys- tem along by acting as judge and jury. Basically, he breaks the law to help the law. Years later, months before his retirement, he is forced to pay for his actions. What he comes face to face with is as hor- rifying as it is controversial. I am not going to tell you how it ends of course but whatever your in- terpretation, this play forces the audience to re-evaluate their sense of legal correctness, and the very natural yearning for justice." Monica Attard plays his wife, Karmen, who has learned to deal with her husband's erratic moods, knowing all too well that the life of a policeman is that of facing hu- manity's worst, day in day out. "The script is an emotional roll- ercoaster ride," she says. "It just does not let off. A brilliant piece of Maltese theatre where the Maltese audience will be seeing their own experiences, through their own filters, clearly and dramatically exposed on stage. Don't get me wrong. Mario insists we are here to entertain the audience, not teach or educate, but boy oh boy, this is one of those theatrical experiences that one will not forget too soon." "The eighteen-strong cast is made up of veterans like Mario and Monica together with others that are proving what a great talent pool we are so blessed with here in Malta," Mario Philip Azzopardi in- terjects. "With them we are also in- troducing three new faces who are appearing on the Manoel Theatre stage for the very first time. I was blown away by their talent during auditions and I feel very lucky and honored to be working with them. These are professional artists, not because they live on the proceeds from their art – that's impossible in Malta – but because of their dedication, passion and discipline. These are serious artists we should be very proud of and take care of." The first part of the Spettur Bon- nici trilogy will premiere at the Manoel Theatre on March 11 at 20:00. There will be five other per- formances: on March 12 at 19:00, then March 17 and 18 at 20:00 and March 19 at 15:00 and 19:00. Bookings: teatrumanoel.com.mt or by phone 2124 6389 THE Ian Tomlin Scholarship Trust has announced that the re- nowned violinist Carmine Lauri has accepted to act as the Trust's patron. This announcement forms part of the Trust's commitment to promote further musical edu- cation in Malta by offering music scholarships to Maltese musicians wanting to study at Edinburgh Napier University. Carmine Lauri has a distin- guished career as a violinist, both as a solo artist as well as an ensem- ble musician. He is co-leader of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Concertmaster of the Oxford Phil- harmonic, and Guest Leader of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. He also performs regularly with many other orchestras and has worked with many distinguished conduc- tors including Lorin Maazel, Ber- nard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Antonio Pappano, Riccardo Chail- ly, Pierre Boulez, Valery Gergiev and many others. Lauri is regularly invited to judge final rounds of music competi- tions held in London and to coach advanced students at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guild- hall School of Music and Drama. He also regularly coaches students at the Royal Academy of Music as part of their orchestral training and conducts sectional string re- hearsals to prepare the orchestra for their concerts. The Ian Tomlin Scholarship Trust was set up in 1999 by the late Dr Ian Tomlin to allow musicians to pursue music education at the Ian Tomlin School of Music with- in Edinburgh Napier University. To date eleven Maltese musicians have benefited from the Scholar- ship Trust, all of whom have gone on to pursue successful profes- sional careers in music. There are currently two scholarship students studying at Edinburgh Napier University, soprano Gabrielle Sar- gent as well as clarinettist Beatrix Calleja. The Ian Tomlin Trust feels that Lauri's commitment to music edu- cation and professionalism make him an ideal ambassador for the Trust's work. It is hoped that with the support of artists like Carmine Lauri the Trust can not only carry on the late Dr Tomlin's work but also expand on it to offer more possibilities to Maltese students. New drama by Stagun Teatru Malti premieres on March 11 The Maltese violinist will serve as an ambassador for the Scotland-based Trust Carmine Lauri Mario Micallef