Sports and theatre are not two fields that usually mix, but Teatru Malta in co-production with the Valletta Cultural Agency, has taken the legendary snooker player Tony ‘It-Tornado’ Drago’s rise to fame and adapted it to the stage. 

Keep your eyes on the ball as things move fast with Tornado Tony. Malta’s snooker legend made a name for himself by holding the record for the fastest century break back in 1996 while also winning countless tournaments. 

Potting at least 25 consecutive balls in three minutes and 31 seconds, Tony Drago truly deserves the title of Tornado. No one in the history of the sport has managed to rack up 100 points or more in this amount of time. 

With Drago | It-Tvenvin ta’ “Tornado Tony” the audience takes a deeper look into who Tony is and the path he had to follow to become the well known personality he is today.

Penned by Andr​​é Mangion, directed by Sean Buhagiar, and with Charlie Cauchi taking care of the art and audiovisual direction – the vision for Drago was to transfer the excitement from the snooker table to the audiences. 

Peter Galea, taking on the role of Tony Drago, was even coached by Drago as the play hinges on the astounding snooker moves that happen on the table. 

The performance was quite a technological one, with set pieces being voice-activated, potting balls triggering light and sound cues, and a coin machine that reset the lights. 

Dividing the piece into six chapters, Buhagiar takes the audience through a journey that slowly zooms into Drago’s life – showing audiences both sides of the man as a snooker player and Sina’s son. 

Faced with various challenges along the way – Drago | It-Tvenvin Ta’ “Tornado Tony” beautifully condenses a 31-year long story into an hour and fifteen-minute long performance, complete with the highs and lows of a sporting career.

Performed in the Società Filarmonica Nazionale La Valette band club – the space is incorporated within the piece. Having a drink before the show, hearing the glasses clink at the bar, and actually taking place in a bar – the space truly immerses the audience into this story. 

Known to throw around a cue or two, the fieriness that is Tony Drago is encapsulated in a production that is real, raw and authentic. His professional and personal journey both contributed to his rise to fame which is communicated succinctly in this play.

Tony Drago would not be a Tornado without his humble beginnings in Malta. 

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