HUSH: a thrilling new musical at the Manoel Theatre

The Manoel Theatre’s education programme TOI TOI, in collaboration with the Valletta 2018 Foundation, is presenting an original musical; written and directed by Denise Mulholland, with music and lyrics by Luke Saydon and performed by Teatru Manoel Youth Theatre from 17 to 19 March 2018 at the Manoel Theatre.

HUSH is a story which will appeal to all ages (from 8+). It is a modern fairy tale about finding your voice when nobody seems to be listening.

The plot goes like this: Gus Nightingale is a little boy from a musical family. When tragedy strikes he and his father lose their ability to communicate with each other. And when The Very Dreadful Thing happens to him, there is no one for him to turn to. So Gus makes a decision. From that day onwards he will not say a word. No speech, no song, no talking. Every day Gus passes the locked-up music shop on his way to school. One day, when he is at his lowest, the shop opens! Gus meets the owner of the shop, Clementine Pickles (who hates her name, it makes her sound so sour and honestly she's really rather sweet) and discovers to his joy that she is able to hear his inner voice. In the cluttered shop Gus notices a conductor's baton. Very old and precious it is kept under lock and key. Nobody knows the power of this baton but Clemmie's orders are to keep it safe and sound.

No sooner has Gus made a new best friend than it's time to go home. And that is when the unexpected happens... Clemmie and Gus may not know the secret of the baton but- as sure as eggs is eggs- someone out there does and that someone is about to wreak a terrible revenge on the world.

Can a silent little boy overcome the villainous Maestro and save the world? And even more importantly, can this silent little boy overcome his own fears and save himself?

HUSH is on at Teatru Manoel on Saturday 17th March at 6pm, Sunday 18 March at 3pm & 6pm and Monday 19 March at 12pm noon. Tickets are €10 and the musical is suitable for anyone aged 8+. There are also school per- formances on 16 and 20 March. Tickets can be purchased from www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt or +356 2124 6389

Tina Rizzo as Clemmie in the new musical HUSH

Joseph Zammit as the Maestro and David Coppini as Gus in HUSH