A win-win scenario

With the success of ventures such as High School Musical still in the air, what do you think is behind the popular appeal of such productions?

13 The Musical has had it own success on Broadway being the first musical with an all teenage cast and band, and now it is taking Europe by storm.  I suppose producers would like to lure teens to the theatre and even more so give youngsters a chance to perform. This is a win-win situation.  13 is a good example, as it is a hilarious grown-up musical comedy about growing up that should appeal to both youngsters and adults.

In theatre, they say you should never work with animals or children... so what was working with an all-teenage cast like?
Well that is an old saying. I have directed ‘children’ and ‘animals’ on several occasions; when I did Oliver I had a dog and lots of kids, and when I did Annie I also had a dog, and a horse followed up in one of my pantomimes… but getting back to the question, working with teenagers is highly rewarding. The cast of 13 are no ordinary teenagers. All our youngsters (and this includes both the cast and the band) are training or trained in the performing arts. It’s a joy to mould them and launch them into their careers. This is not only rewarding to me, but to all those who will come and watch the show.

On a related note, are there any particularly notable performers within the cast?
13 is pretty much a team effort… and yes, we have some great voices.  Of course we have Andre Agius, Luke Farrugia and Alexander Gatesy Lewis fresh from their excellent performances in Masquerade’s The History Boys, which played two weeks ago at the Manoel Theatre. Added to this we have the likes of Lisa Mifsud, Chrissy Warrington, Tilly Howes, Simon Gravino, Brian Dimech and several other up-and-coming talented young performers. I am very pleased with the way in which these so called ‘kids’ have risen to the occasion.

The venue is also unique – could you elaborate on why it was chosen?
I just love working with a big cast and young people (in small doses). This is the first time Masquerade is working at St Agatha’s Auditorium in Rabat. The stage is well equipped, the staff is amazing and very helpful, and there are good parking facilities.  In fact, the venue is known mostly to dance schools, which use it for performances regularly. They also have a dance carpet… so why not?  This is a big space and we thought, why not give it a try?

What kind of music can we actually expect from the production as a whole?
The music and lyrics of 13 are by Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, who has been hailed as ‘one of Broadway’s smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim.’ We have some lovely ballads and the voices to sing them, some good fast and energetic dance numbers nicely choreographed by Claire Cassola, and again we have the cast to dance them. It is basically fun, ear-catching music.

Tickets from €10.00 can be booked from the ticket hotline by calling 79793737, or online through www.biljetti.com.

13 The Musical is supported by The American Embassy, Travelex Financial Services, Portomaso, Josies Bathrooms and MaltaToday.