HUSH
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HUSH
MUSIC & LYRICS LUKE SAYDON
BOOK & DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
GENRE: Family Musical
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: Anywhere between 10 and 20
OPENING NIGHT: MARCH 2018
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
HUSH is an original musical created by duo Luke Saydon and Denise Mulholland. The show premiered as part of the 2018 European City of Culture to high acclaim. Told in meticulous verse and eccentric tunes, HUSH is the story of a little boy suppressed in a world of silence. In the aftermath of a tragedy, Gus Nightingale loses his voice. While the loud crowds are busy trying to find out why this is so, this silent boy is entrusted with the task of saving the world of sound as we know it.
HUSH is a family-targeted piece set in a magical world of an enchanted music shop, a powerful conductor’s baton, music scores that come to life, and a villainous Maestro. All this sets the tone for a heartwarming musical story which in essence deals with the grief of a departed loved one, the beauty of music and the power of a voice that’s true.
HUSH has been awarded three Maltese National Arts Awards- Best Production, Best Work for Young Audiences and Best Young Artist for its composer.
“In Hush we have a production that is firing on all cylinders, a big red polished Ferrari of a production.” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
“…a completely homegrown production that captured the imagination of children, parents and of adults with no children in tow.” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
"From Mulholland’s seamless staging to Saydon’s rich musical compositions. A solid hour and a half of wit, humour and goosebumps."– LATE INTERACTIVE
OTHER WORK
These videos have English subtitles. Press CC to access.
IL-KAŻIN TAL-IMQARBIN
Club of the Misbehaved
MUSIC, LYRICS & BOOK: LUKE SAYDON
DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
GENRE: Musical, Young Adult, LGBTQI+
LANGUAGE: Maltese with English Subtitles
CAST SIZE: 5 actors
OPENING NIGHT: 11 October 2024
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
Malta currently holds the record for the highest rate of HIV transmissions in Europe per capita.
Set in a 1980’s underground club (Il-Każin), a group of closeted gay men must battle the aids threat in Malta while maintaining secrecy. The Każin is the place where men could be themselves, dance the night away and love one another. This secret world is threatened when in 1986 the first Maltese AIDS case is reported. Being gay was not only dangerous, but deadly.
Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin is a Maltese musical documenting the untold stories of gay men during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic in Malta. It is the first national memorial of its kind, recognizing and honoring the lives lost to the epidemic.
The Times of Malta hailed the production as a “breath of fresh air for local theatre” and a show that “deserves to live on”.
Reviewer Ramona Depares says “ Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin confirms Saydon as the prime Reġina of queer theatre in Malta with a two-hour tour de force."
IT-TEATRU TAL-MISKIN
Theatre of the Damned
MUSIC, LYRICS & BOOK: LUKE SAYDON
DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
GENRE: Musical, Young Adult, LGBTQI+
LANGUAGE: Maltese with English Subtitles
CAST SIZE: 3 actors
OPENING NIGHT: 23 September 2023
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
It- Teatru tal- Miskin is a cautionary tale about the dangers of a close-minded society.
The bus never comes to Ħal Fern. It’s a village cut from the rest of the world, completely forgotten.
One day a troupe of clowns arrives in Ħal Fern - entertainers who are strikingly different from the rest of the village. Their otherness and playfulness stand out in the mundane streets of Ħal Fern. They perform “It-Teatru tal-Miskin”, a show that unearths the stories that Ħal Fern had buried deep. The stories of a boy who dared to wear high heels.
Through rather macabre theatricality, It-Teatru tal-Miskin is a queer coming of age story about people’s innate fear of ‘the other’.
REVIEW from THE TIMES OF MALTA:
"It-Teatru tal-Miskin may very well be the best thing to happen to Maltese theatre this year. It is with good reason that each consecutive run sold seats like hotcakes, packiong theatres to the brim, with audiences transfixed, shattering the earth in its wake. I only wish this had appeared 10 or 20 years ago."
These videos have English subtitles. Press CC to access.
THE THREE SUNSETS
MUSIC & LYRICS LUKE SAYDON
BOOK & DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
GENRE: Family Musical, Dementia, Memory loss, Musical developed with the dementia community.
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: Anywhere between 5 and 20
OPENING NIGHT: NOVEMBER 2014
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
The Three Sunsets is set in a magical forest where all the memories of the world are kept. But now something frightening is happening. Memories are being stolen. When one memory is stolen, hundreds of other memories disappear as a consequence. If the memories continue to disappear at this rate, by the end of just Three Sunsets, there will be no memories left in the world.
The show is brought to life by extraordinary scenery, ensemble work, fascinating puppetry, costumes, physical theatre and comedy.
The Three Sunsets is an original musical created by the duo Luke Saydon and Denise Mulholland. The show premiered as part of the Żigużajg Festival in 2014 in Malta, and was followed by a run at the National Theatre of Malta the following year. After the critical acclaim of its first two productions, the piece was later revived in April 2019 by the Maltese School of Performing Arts.
“a successful blend of whimsy, musical and choreography set to the format of a quest..” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
“…I don't think I've ever watched something so moving, riveting, tight and entertaining up on that stage at the Manoel. You were all excellent.” – ALAN PARIS
”What I witnessed this morning at the Manoel was something unlike I've ever witnessed before. I was truly moved, in many ways” – BRIAN DIMECH
