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Lust, Power, Corruption And Whisky: Shakespeare At The Pub Is Heading To Strait Street To Break All The Rules

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A recent addition to the local theatre programme for performance lovers and goers from all over the island has quickly become a staple outing for many. Shakespeare At The Pub has treated audiences to witty, stripped down versions of the Bard’s classics for three years now. And this year they’re back with one of his, um, sexier plays; Measure for Measure.

And they open tomorrow!

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WhatsTheirNames Theatre, the brains behind the popular Shakespeare At The Pub performances, always sell out their intimate shows – constantly having to add extra shows and dates, and taking over the iconic Valletta drinking spot ‘The Pub’.

But this year, they’re changing things up a bit

Shakespeare At The Pub will no longer be taking place at The Pub. Their shows have become so popular that they’ve had to move away, to a larger performance space. ‘Measure for Measure’ will make its home at The Splendid on Strait Street; an abandoned brother turned theatre.

But don’t worry, they’re keeping that pub atmosphere alive by providing audiences with a free glass of Jameson ginger and lime with every ticket they purchase.

Measure for Measure tells the story of Isabella, a novice nun coerced into having sex with a corrupt government official to save her brother from execution. Pretty deep.

It is renowned as one of Shakespeare’s most prickly plays, and is as relevant and morally ambiguous now as it ever was.

“Reading and staging this play at the height of the #MeToo movement, it is impossible not to see the parallels in powerful men abusing their position, and the women who are disregarded and vilified when they speak up,” director Philip Leone-Ganado has said. “That Shakespeare was tackling these issues more than 400 years ago is striking enough, but that he does so with such compelling characters and such an intriguing mix of comedy and drama is what has given this play its staying power and made it one of his most interesting and troubling works.”

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Measure for Measure: Strait Street Shakespeare features a cast of some of the best young actors on the island, including Jonathan Dunn, Joseph Zammit, Joe Azzopardi, Sandie von Brockdorff, Nathan Brimmer and Michela Farrugia, as well as acclaimed burlesque performer Undine La Verve and pianist Marie-Elena Farrugia.

Performances will take place on April 25, 26, 27 and 28, and May 2, 3, 4 and 5 at 8pm at The Splendid, Strait Street, Valletta.

To book tickets you can email [email protected] or send an sms to mobile numbers 7734 5207 or 7905 2522. But hurry up! Only 50 tickets are being sold per show and they’re already almost all gone.

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