Past Marlowe Productions

Woodcut from Title Page of The Jew of Malta (1633 Quarto)

The Jew of Malta

This is an archive of past productions of Marlowe's play The Jew of Malta (including adaptations) from 1999 onwards that have all finished. The details and review links may still be of interest.

The Jew of Malta at the Teatru Manoel, Valletta - 2018

Valletta, Malta [2018]

  • Play: The Jew of Malta
  • Date: Friday 05 October to Sunday 14 October 2018.
  • Performance Times: Friday to Sunday evenings at 20:00, except Saturday 06 October which starts at 18:00.
  • Venue: Teatru Manoel, Triq it-Teatru l-Antik, Valletta VLT 1426. [Map]
  • Tickets: Priced €10-€25 | €10-€20 for concessions, available online or from the Box Office (+356-21246389).
  • Reviews: Times of Malta.
  • Summary: Teatru Manoel presents The Jew of Malta written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Chris Gatt, with Mikhail Basmadjian as Barabas, Antony Edridge as Ferneze, Joe Zammit as Ithamore, and Naomi Said as Abigail. "The Jew of Malta is one of Christopher Marlowe's lesser known plays. This may be because of its strange amalgam of tragedy and fiercely black comedy. In many ways it was ahead of its time and today reads more like a Quentin Tarantino script where violence and bloody slapstick comedy clash in one vibrant, fast-moving play. It expects a lot from its actors who are sent rushing in and out of scenes with breakneck alacrity in a plot which has so many twists and knots you could construct a macrame basket out of it. It is a difficult play which refuses definition: at turns political, satirical, farcical and even tragic. It brings together characters of the three major monotheistic faiths, and roundly condemns all three. It is, in short, and typically of Marlowe, a revolutionary play which stings and hurts even as it entertains."
  • Website Links: The Teatru Manoel in Valetta presents The Jew of Malta | Interview with Antony Edridge | History of Teatru Manoel.
The Jew of Malta at the RSC - 2015

RSC Swan [2015]

The Jew of Malta at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury - 2014

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury [2014]

The Jew of Malta at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York - 2007

TFANA, New York [2007]

  • Play: The Jew of Malta
  • Date: Previews from Wednesday 17 January, opening Sunday 04 February and running until Saturday 17 March 2007, Tuesday to Sunday. Playing alternate nights with Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham playing both Barabas and Shylock.
  • Venue: The Duke on 42nd Street, 229 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036, US. [Map]
  • Tickets: Priced $65-$69 | $10 for under-25's available online or from the Box Office (646-223-3010).
  • Reviews: New York Times; Reuters; Theater Mania; Backstage; Curtain Up; Prof Maryann Feola (City University of NY).
  • Summary: Theatre for a New Audience presents The Jew of Malta written by Christopher Marlowe, directed by David Herskovits, with F. Murray Abraham as Barabas, Marc Vietor as Ferneze, Arnie Burton as Ithamore, and Nicole Lowrance as Abigail. "TFANA present Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice directed by Darko Tresnjak in repertory with Marlowe's The Jew of Malta directed by David Herskovits with F. Murray Abraham playing both Shylock and Barabas, exploring the two Elizabethan authors' treatment of Jewish characters."
  • Website Links: Theatre for a New Audience presents The Jew of Malta at The Duke on 42nd Street | Interview with F. Murray Abraham | Play readings by F. Murray Abraham.
The Jew of Malta at the Almeida Theatre, Islington - 1999

Almeida [1999]

  • Play: The Jew of Malta
  • Date: Thursday 30 September to Saturday 06 November 1999.
  • Performance Times: Evenings at 19:30.
  • Venue: Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, Islington, London N1 1TA. [Map & Directions]
  • Tickets: Available from the Almeida Box Office (020-7359-4404) [Booking Info].
  • Reviews: Guardian; Independent; Observer; New York Times; Variety; The Herald.
  • Summary: The Almeida Theatre presents The Jew of Malta written by Christopher Marlowe and directed by Michael Grandage, with Ian McDiarmid as Barabas, David Yelland as Ferneze, Adam Levy as Ithamore, and Poppy Miller as Abigail. "The Christian rulers of the island of Malta are in heavy debt to the Turks. In order to raise the requisite sum. Barabas, a rich Jewish merchant, is deprived of his wealth, his house and his possessions. Ruined and humiliated, he answers treachery with treachery and embarks on a course of indiscriminate revenge with both tragic and farcical results."
  • Website Links: The Jew of Malta at the Almeida Theatre | Interview with Ian McDiarmid.