Teatru Manoel — Attraction in Valletta

Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, financed the construction of a theater in 1731 in order to keep the young members of the order of knights from mischief, and to offer "honest entertainment" to the citizens. The first performance took place on January 19, 1732. The theater was the center of cultural events until the opening of the Royal Opera House on October 9, 1866, which took over. That's when the "fight for supremacy" between the two objects began. As early as 1873, the Opera building was damaged by fire, so cultural life returned to the Manoel Theatre. After the restoration that lasted for three years, operas, ballets, and theater performances have been held again in the Royal Opera House since 1877. During the Second World War, in 1942, the building was hit during a bombing and everything returned to the Theater again. The Manoel Theater has been reconstructed several times. By purchasing the surrounding buildings, the Theater was expanded, the stage was extended, boxes were added, wardrobes were expanded, and the plan is to expand the reception area - the ticket office, as well as the opening of a cafe-restaurant within...

If you are ever staying in or close to Valletta and want to do something different one evening then I cannot recommend this highly enough. Compared to the UK the ticket prices are very reasonable ranging from 36 to 45 euros. We chose to try out one of the boxes on the 1st floor which whilst advertising as suitable for 4 was a bit cramped with some restrictions on the views. But for me this was about the whole experience of the night and whilst sitting in the stalls would have given us a better view the box just added something extra special. The theatre itself is undergoing some renovations so the frontage was covered up and there was a distinct lack of toilets that UK theatre goers would struggle with but the interior was simply stunning as I hope the pictures show. We watched The Band's Visit which was a delightful show with great acting and even better singing. My one criticism would be the heat which was pretty overbearing however that aside if you want to experience good quality theatre in a beautiful setting I cannot recommend this...

A WARNING to Future Attendees :

I'm sharing my experience to prevent others from being misled as I was. This night, I attended an opera at this theater, only to discover that my seat provided absolutely no visibility of the stage. Not a restricted view, not a partially obstructed view—no view at all.

I was not the only one affected ; several of my neighbors were forced to stand for the entire 2 hours and 30 minutes just to catch a glimpse of the performance they had paid for. This is utterly unacceptable, especially given that there was no clear warning when purchasing the ticket. Such a critical detail should be explicitly stated, yet it was not.

I approached successively two members of staff ; completely indifferents, no attempt to help, no concern.

I would never recommend this opera to friends or family visiting the city. Please beware before booking your tickets, and save your money...