Malta

We returned today after a fantastic week in Malta. This was the hat-trick we all hoped for, following COLLISION and THE RETURN – and GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE was to be the first professional show for children ever staged in Malta. It sold out!

More importantly, the reaction was amazing. We’ve been producing GEORGE since 1995 (the only show we’ve ever wanted to repeat) and this was possibly the best reaction the show has ever generated. Granted it had a star cast (!) but the response was astonishing.

It also reminded me just how much an audience can contribute to a production. A great audience encourages the actors to perform at their very best and the performances on Saturday were as good they get. It also becomes a genuinely communal experience, where the audience and actors are working together in synergy. We all knew that we had experienced perfect theatre.

The fact that we should experience this in the oldest working theatre in Europe was particularly gratifying. Originally built as an opera house, it has six layers in the auditorium and you could see layer upon layer overflowing with eager and enthusiastic people.

If you add sea, sights, sun and spaghetti, you have a pretty special week!