Bulgarian operatic baritone Kiril Manolov is leading the international cast of a bold, new version of Verdi’s Falstaff, being staged by the Manoel Theatre and the Malta National Opera (MNO) from February 22 to March 1, 2026.
The new production is set inside a buzzing 1960s broadcasting studio, inspired by director Barbara Diana, where Falstaff explodes with colour, comedy and the fast-paced mischief of live television.
Verdi’s final masterpiece finds new life in this world of glowing ‘On Air’ signs, studio cameras, velvet drapes and backstage chaos.
The world-class cast includes other performers who are reprising their celebrated Falstaff roles from some of the world’s finest stages. Their names will be announced in the coming weeks.
The production is conducted by Federico Tibone, a rising force on the European opera circuit whose work spans the Opéra National de Paris and the Opéra de Marseille, bringing incisive musical leadership and a refined understanding of Verdi’s comic timing and ensemble brilliance. He will lead the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in this new Falstaff.
The set and costume design, created by Stewart J. Charlesworth, is a major visual centrepiece of the production. Inspired by the bold palette and graphic style of the 1960s, Charlesworth’s world is charged with comic flair, saturated studio lighting, rhythmic pops of colour and sharply drawn silhouettes that mirror the pace and wit of Verdi’s score, enriching the lively, character-driven comedy that unfolds on stage.
‘Everything in the world is a joke’
Falstaff is a comic opera in three acts. The Italian-language libretto was adapted by Arrigo Boito from the play The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, by William Shakespeare.
The title character is Sir John Falstaff, who short on money and long on ego, devises a plan to woo two married women, Alice Ford and Meg Page, in hopes of gaining access to their husbands’ wealth. But Falstaff misfires − unaware of the ladies’ close friendship, he sends the same love letter to both women.
When the ladies compare notes, they decide to turn the tables. Their elaborate pranks leave Falstaff humiliated, dunked in the Thames, and thoroughly outwitted, all while the jealous Ford plots his own counter-schemes.
Everything culminates in Windsor Forest, where Falstaff is confronted by villagers disguised as fairies, spirits and monsters. Terrified into submission, he finally recognises the absurdity of his own vanity.
The opera closes with one of Verdi’s most famous lines: “Tutto nel mondo è burla” − “everything in the world is a joke!”
A new chapter for opera in Malta
This collaboration between MNO and the Manoel signals a shift in Malta’s operatic landscape, towards productions built on international casting, contemporary theatricality and an expanded sense of artistic ambition on the national stage.
With its riotous 1960s world and creative team, Falstaff marks the beginning of a more outward-looking approach to opera in Malta: one defined by artistic excellence, scale and a renewed connection to the wider European operatic conversation.
For more information, visit teatrumanoel.mt.
