Music and drama in Malta - 1960-61

Abstract

The 1960-61 season was a memorable one because of the reopening of the Manoel Theatre, one of Europe's most famous theatres, as Sir Donald Wolfit was pleased to call it. Its long delayed opening took place in December 1960 in the presence of a brilliant assembly that flaunted rich furs, jewels and gold braid in the best of styles. A second gala night took place a few days later - more furs, jewels and gold braid were seen in January for a short opera season. All very gay and charming, no doubt. Moreover, the theatre is traditionally a milieu for high and middle-class society. Unfortunately, brilliant assemblies are not the only ingredients of a National Theatre. There are some heretics who deny their being essential at all! These same also insist that it is far more important to plan far ahead, to have a definite policy, to form a permanent company of players with a permanent director or directors. They also hold this bold opinion - anathema, no doubt - that a National Theatre should not aim at making profits, at being run mainly as a commercial enterprise. Although these heretics should doubtless be burned at the stake, they may be right in one or two things, especially when they lament the lack of a policy. The Manoel Theatre Committee gave the Maltese public a bill-of-fare which was mixed indeed. Like the cauldron in 'Macbeth', the Season at the Manoel Theatre consisted of widely-differing items. The result, though hardly a ''hell-broth'', failed to make at least one person enthusiastic. "What are their aims?" is a question indeed hard to answer.