Sex abuse victim calls out Manoel Theatre for hosting Suda-adapted ‘Boeing Boeing’

Household name and actor John Suda ebbed away in disgrace when in 2018 he was served a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for committing a violent indecent assault on a 22 year-old actress in 2015. 

But now his name is on the bill for the 1960s French sex farce ‘Boeing Boeing’ – famously taken to the silver screen in the film starring Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis – and it is raising eyebrows.

Having adapted the play for the Manoel Theatre staging along with veteran actor Mario Micallef, who stars in the play, Suda has now been called out by the victim who suffered his abuse, slamming the theatre for hosting the play.

“Teatru Manoel, please explain to me why someone who has been found guilty of sexual assault and has been told he is no longer allowed to perform nor be a teacher is involved in one of your productions,” Mandy Randon said in a public Facebook post, publicisng her identity for the first time.

“Seven years later and I still suffer from the scars, my body still freezes yet shakes at the sight of his name. Thank you Teatru Manoel for making my battle a neverending one.”

The Manoel Theatre has however said that the play had already been adapted and translated into Maltese by Suda and Micallef well over 30 years ago. “John Suda has had no relationship with the script since then,” the theatre mamagement said. “Teatru Manoel also confirms that John Suda has no involvement whatsoever in the co-production and will receive absolutely no compensation from Teatru Manoel or Talenti.”

That ‘Boeing Boeing’ is a sex farce well of its time (the filmic version was tellingly tagged as the “film of nineteen-sexty-sex”) makes it only a tad problematic for Suda to have his name associated with the Maltese adapation, years since his conviction.

Suda, who after his conviction lost his teacher’s warrant, was accused of having abused of a young actress he had been coaching after auditioning for a soap opera part. Suda was accused of having locked the audition room door, ordering the actress to take off her clothes and start reciting her lines as a confidence booster. He had told police that he had used this method in workshops ad with the victim to “see how cool she can stay in these situations”. But Suda was accused of having assaulted the actress during these auditions.