HUSH
musical
march 2018
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
For more information about the musical, kindly refer to the information kit attached below.
the three sunsets
MUSICAL
November 2014 / May 2015 / April 2019
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.
The Three Sunsets is a family-targeted piece 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.
“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
For more information about the musical, kindly refer to the information kit attached below.
ERNEST & THE
PALE MOON
play
OCTOBER 2018
Produced by the Shrinking Violets, “Ernest and the Pale Moon” is a play directed by Denise Mulholland and features an original score by Luke Saydon. The play was completely underscored in the style of gothic soundtracks such as Bernard Hermann, Danny Elfman and John Williams. With a macabre and dark setting, the music of Ernest propelled the drama forward and added to the suspense only a show like this can create.
Take one failed kidnap attempt, two men (with the same face) and one very confused wife. Add a puzzled girlfriend, plus a completely incapable police force, and you have the recipe for Dario Fo's hilarious farce Trumpets and Raspberries. Overheat completely and serve at a frenetic pace. Combining hilarious physical comedy with witty satire, Dario Fo’s Trumpets and Raspberries is a high-energy farce that combines laugh-out loud gags with a strong political message. The fictional plot revolves around real political figure, Gianni Agnelli, set against the backdrop of 1980s Italy.
Luke Saydon created the original score for this production, using as many Italian 1980 flavours as possible. The music is slapstick, bold and very characteristic of the farce nature that comes with a Dario Fo play.
Dario fo's trumpets
& raspberries
play
february 2017
Ninu follows the coming of age story of a young boy throughout his journey towards adulthood. In an ever more connected and globalised society, he struggles in his search for identity and purpose, which fuels his overwhelming anxiety and threatens to destroy everything that was once dear to him. How much is he willing to sacrifice in order to fit in and feel connected to the world he lives in? The show explores the complexities of growing up, the pressures placed on us by society and their effect on our mental health. Ninu is an original theatre piece in Maltese.
Written by Anton Saliba. Coproduced by Spazju Kreattiv in collaboration with ŻiguŻajg. A fully original musical score was composed by Luke Saydon for this play, including emotional motifs, techno and dubstep club pieces as well as underscoring soundscapes.
