Manoel Theatre, Valletta, Malta - SpottingHistory.com

The Manoel Theatre is one of the oldest working theatres in Europe. Constructed in 1731 by the Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena the theatre is a baroque gem with a wonderful acoustic and a full calendar of events populated by local and international performers, with productions in English and Maltese.

The theatre is located on Old Theatre Street in Valletta. It considers itself as the country's national theatre and the home of Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Originally called the Teatro Pubblico, its name was changed to Teatro Reale, or Theatre Royal, in 1812, and renamed Manoel Theatre in 1866. The first play to be performed was Maffei's Merope. The theatre is a small, 623 seat venue, with an oval-shaped auditorium, three tiers of boxes constructed entirely of wood, decorated with gold leaf, and a pale blue trompe-l'oeil ceiling that resembles a round cupola.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Israel Ramírez Escobedo (4 months ago)
Beautiful place with a great atmosphere to enjoy a good show, I recommend to buy tickets on the stalls or in the tiers because I think that some seats on the Gallery section are not very comfortable, and it could be replaced for other cosiest than the current ones later on.

Henk Schüller (5 months ago)
The Teatru Manoel opened in 1732 and is Eutope's third oldest working theater. It is small with 600 seats in total. Located in the very heart of Malta's charming capital Valletta.

Judith Farrugia (5 months ago)
Wonderful historical theatre. If booking in the gallery see that you don't book 2nd or 3rd row. Uncomfortable seats and not so easy to see. 1st Row will do.

wildworlde (6 months ago)
Beautiful, intimate theater. Reduced-price partial view seats still offer good views, so only spring for the fancier seats if you must sit front and center or are part of a group. I saw a show for only 12€ and enjoyed every minute.

Aleandro Bartolo (8 months ago)
Saw Sweeney Todd and the production was excellent. Terrific actors, high quality props and very smooth all the way around. Performance was excellent too. The theatre itself is majestic. We had booked a 7 seat box on tier 3 and we had an excellent view. Orchestra was superb in live as well. Highly recommended to visit and watch a performance at the theatre!

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