Celebrate 80 Years Of Shakespeare In The Garden At This Year’s Production Of ‘As You Like It’ At San Anton Gardens
Sitting in a Maltese garden and enjoying a quality Shakespearean play has practically become an annual tradition on the island. For 80 years, MADC have been hosting Shakespeare in the Garden, re-staging the classic English playwright’s work in a setting befitting of it.
And seeing as this year’s selection is the fan-favourite ‘As You Like It’, which largely takes place in a forest, there’s never been a better time to get your Shakespeare on if you haven’t yet; it’s pretty much the OG Game of Thrones, sans dragons and incest.
“The play moves from the stark, oppressive world of a modern royal court to the free and joyous expanse of a forest festival. For a play with such an iconic and evocative backdrop as the Forest of Arden, there really is no better place to perform it than San Anton Gardens in summer, which provides a perfect fit for the forest’s magic and splendour,” said director Philip Leone-Ganado.
Considering that MADC have consistently staged a Shakespeare play for eight decades, attendees can expect a contemporary rendition that will deliver the classic play in a modern way, turning San Anton Gardens into a magical open-air theatre for a night.
Pictured: Shakespeare in the Garden, 80 years ago
All the world’s a stage – including San Anton Garden
‘As You Like It’ tells the story of lovers Rosalind and Orlando who are forced into exile in the Forest of Arden and become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. ‘As You Like It’ is one of the Bard’s funniest and most moving romantic comedies, with coming-of-age themes that are as relevant today as when it was first performed.
The cast is just as impressive as the story, with a pick of some of the most talented actors on the island. Chris Dingli, Stephen Oliver, Jonathan Dunn, Steffi Thake, Roberta Cefai, Chiara Hyzler, Gianni Selvaggi, Michael Mangion, Rambert Attard, Maxine Brimmer, Becky D’Ugo, Joe Depasquale and Daniel Formosa will be taking the stage under Philip Leone-Ganado’s direction to bring the Shakespearean world to life.
“We are thrilled to be returning, yet again, to San Anton Gardens with another Shakespeare production,” says MADC artistic director Marylu Coppini. “For MADC to be producing the same Shakespeare play, in the same venue, some 80 years after the Club first did so, is an important milestone both in our history and for its acting members, who every year turn a public garden into an open-air theatre of 21st century quality.”
Whilst remaining faithful to Shakespeare’s original plot and characters, the actors will be playing different roles as the story moves between the play’s two worlds, while the music will also be updated with contemporary elements.
‘As You Like It’ will be performed at San Anton Gardens in Attard between 13th and 22nd July. Further information and tickets are available online at www.madc.com.mt.
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