A wonderfully witty comedy of manners by Noël Coward is soon set for the Manoel stage, in an upcoming co-production from MADC and Teatru Manoel.
Directed by Malcolm Galea and featuring a top cast including Edward Thorpe, Greta Agius, Myron Ellul, Kim Dalli and Giulia Gatt, Coward’s classic play Private Lives is a delightful romp that is as funny and relatable for audiences today as it was when it premiered in 1930.
“Having directed this witty, perceptive play some years back, it didn’t take long to convince the MADC committee to agree to the Teatru Manoel management’s suggestion to stage this popular classic as a token of homage to Noël Coward, fifty years since his death in March 1973,” says Marylu Coppini, MADC Artistic Director. “Audiences will love Noël Coward’s inimitable repartee. To quote a 2014 review in the Guardian: ‘This is not simply a comedy about posh people and their witty aphorisms, but one in which nobody is in control of their emotions.’ Private Lives promises to be a most enjoyable evening at the splendid Manoel Theatre, with a piece of timeless theatre that has charmed audiences worldwide for nearly a century.”
In Coward’s fast-paced Private Lives, passion, laughter, romance, anger and love set the stage for a battle of the sexes with hilarious consequences. Divorced couple Amanda and Elyot find themselves unwittingly thrown together, when they book adjoining rooms while on honeymoon with their respective new spouses, Victor and Sybil. Despite their stormy relationship, this unexpected turn of events forces Amanda and Elyot to finally face their true feelings for each other.
The much-loved play has not only enjoyed multiple runs and revivals in London’s West End and on Broadway, but it has also been adapted several times for television and radio, starring over the years a veritable Who’s Who of performance greats including Laurence Olivier, Elizabeth Taylor, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kim Cattrall and Matthew Macfadyen.
Booking is now open online for Private Lives at www.teatrumanoel.mt or www.madc.com.mt, with tickets available at €25, €20 and €15, with discounted rates for senior citizens and students. But hurry – with just six performances, tickets for this unmissable production won’t last long!
Noël Coward’s Private Lives plays at Teatru Manoel on 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26 March 2023, with all performances at 7.30pm. Tickets are available online at www.teatrumanoel.mt or www.madc.com.mt. This production is presented by arrangement with Alan Brodie Representation Ltd (www.alanbrodie.com) and is suitable for audiences aged 11 and above. For more information on Noël Coward, visit www.noelcoward.com.
