Perfectly perfected panto

I consider myself something of a Panto connoisseur. I have not missed a single Christmas pantomime since I was old enough to sit still in my seat and I can safely say, hand on heart, that this year’s MADC spectacle Scrooge:A Christmas Panto is the best I have ever seen.

Not some tired take on a fairy tale (nothing wrong with that, really), not the same old tropes twisted into fanciful shapes, this year’s foray into panto-land was an original vision rooted in tradition. It’s odd, but for some reason perfectly expected, that a glimmer of audacious new entertainment would come to Malta via our pantomime.

Nanette Brimmer has done MADC’s panto proud, directing a show unlike any other. Celebrating 100 years of activity, MADC has pushed the boat out this year and produced a musical infiltrated by all the panto bedazzlement any child (or discerning adult) could desire.

I would hazard to say that nobody left the theatre feeling anything but joyful, humming the songs and dancing the end-of show chorus (a take on the World Cup jingle, lovingly tweaked by the Dame’s ‘Gozitan friend’).

And it’s not just Scrooge. Cabaret, Hair, Rent – every song was adapted from some of the best musicals and stitched together to form a seamless new whole.

Alana Montanaro’s Dame embodied the larger than life hidden heart of Malta, incongruously dropped in a wonderfully realised Victorian setting to poke fun at the world beyond our shores. Pop culture and Eurovision aspirations got a trouncing, along with the usual smattering of (in)famous locals. The laughs just kept on coming.

The set looked like something out of a Christmas card, and congratulations are in order to Peter Howitt for a top-notch presentation. Each vignette was meticulously prepared with houses turning inside out, coffins becoming portals to the underworld (when they weren’t floating down Qormi valley) and psychedelic Christmas trees giving way to explosive crackers.

Ernest Camilleri’s costume designs were well done and Paul Abela’s musical direction was pitch perfect – the singers belted out number after number but sometimes achieved haunting and moving results with the simplest Christmas carols.

The singing talent was impressive, especially the stage side chorus, Les Girls, and Miguel Mercieca as Tiny Tim. Special mention goes to Joseph Zammit and his madcap moment as the ghost of Bob “No Woman, No Cry” Marley.

Now for a little nitpicking (lest you imagine this gushing isn’t heartfelt, I feel duty bound to mention a few of the things that might have been better) – the sound was shaky some of the time, with microphones popping and screeching, sometimes not working at all. It never lasted long enough to cause major concern but whoever dealt with it should have been more alert. Another thing I must take issue with: my memories of the Manoel panto, fond memories indeed, do not include the overwhelming smell of food (nachos, popcorn, baguettes) and a background of crunching and munching.

A box of well-hidden chocolates , a bag of sweets shoved through the box door mid-show – that’s what I remember. But the poor theatre etiquette that some people display (treating t he panto like a dinner show) wasn’t on, and detracted from the experience just a little bit.

Because the show is held in a tent in Ta’ Qali , I can imagine that expectations are somewhat different but the horrendous piles of rubbish left in the aisles were a sad sight indeed.

Back to the show. Colin Willis’ Scrooge brought a touch of the magic Albert Finney gave the role , transforming before our eyes from an inveterate ‘baddie’ into the repentant ‘goodie’ cheered by cast and audience alike . And this transformation, which lies at the heart of Scrooge and Christmas itself , is what really challenged the Panto stereotypes.

We weren’t watching a plodding progression f rom stasis through adventure to amicable resolution (although these were, in their own way, present throughout) – there was an element of metamorphosis that is truly the interior message of Christmas, where wickedness is rejected in favour of good and love triumphs over all.

The real baddie of the piece , Mach A. Villain (played by Chris Hudson) made plain that scheming and deceit have no place in panto’s magical world and his defeat , while entirely expected from the moment he stepped on stage, came in such a way as to fit perfectly within the Christmas Carol narrative. Not once did his presence feel like an unnecessary addition to the story.

What can one say about Montanaro? First of all, this panto sneakily postponed the Dame’s appearance to a point where everybody was on the edge of their seat waiting for her to alight on stage.

When she finally did grace us with her presence, we were reminded why Montanaro is forever the quintessential Dame. Forget the strange and downright impossible outfits, quips dripping with innuendo (many of which Montanaro let drop on the spot during interaction with audience members), the quirky details that come together to make a truly impressive Dame. Montanaro’s contributions in creating this story really shone through, threading a layer of warmth within the zany humour.

At some point the performance stopped being silly and became genuinely heart-warming. It spoke a profound message, accessible to children and best remembered by their parents, that broke through the High Camp spectacle.

For this reason, if no other, the laurels go to MADC – long may this well loved institution reign on the local holiday stage. Here’s looking forward to another century of quality work, a hundred more years of fun and fond memories for generations of Maltese families.