Take your children on a hilarious trip through history, thanks to the laugh-out-loud antics of Malcolm Galea and The Complete History of Europe (More or Less). Jo Caruana takes an unusual lesson in history.

Back in the day, wouldn’t it have been great if we could have understood our curriculum concepts while being thoroughly entertained? I know I would certainly have gone further if algebra was taught through a dance routine or chemistry was live, interactive art.

Now, young students can benefit from something right up that street thanks to the creative mind of award-winning local writer and actor Malcolm Galea.

The Complete History of Europe (More or Less) is actually the third instalment in the More or Less Series of educational family comedies. These shows strive to better explain the vast subjects that children study in school and have been conceived by Galea, whose accolades include Best New Musical at the Off West End Theatre Awards and the Francis Ebejer Prize. Galea also features in the plays along with actor Joseph Zammit, who will be a well-known face to lovers of theatre, operas and pantomimes.

“The play was originally commissioned for the latest Żigużajg International Festival for Children last November and, as with the other shows in the series – The Complete History of Malta (More or Less) and Everything You Need To Know About Science (More or Less) – was well-received by audiences of all ages,” says Galea. “The upcoming performances this Easter will be the first time that the show will be performed since the festival.”

Galea says the show revolves around a fun formula. It is acted out by two performers at rapid speed; one knows the subject matter very well, while the other doesn’t. This duo plays all the parts – mostly thanks to a collection of silly wigs and even sillier accents.

The storyline tackles all of European history, from the Bronze Age to the current formation of the European Union

“Children who have seen our previous shows love the formula, whereas those who watch one for the first time will often want to see all the others. Every time we perform it, we make little changes to perfect it over time,” Galea explains.

The storyline itself tackles all of European history, from the Bronze Age to the current formation of the European Union. It targets children aged between seven and 13, as well as their families, friends and anyone who fancies learning a good deal in the process.

“During the time that we’ve been working on these shows we’ve discovered many interesting things,” grins Galea. “For example, Grand Master de la Valette was actually in his early 70s during the Great Siege and, despite harping on about evolution, Charles Darwin went on to marry his first cousin.

“The history of Europe is no exception. For instance, from 1378 there was a 40-year period when Europe was in a bit of a pickle since there were two popes – one in Rome and one in Avignon. Since neither of them wanted to abdicate in favour of the other, it was decided that they should both abdicate at the same time and another pope was selected in Pisa to replace them. Perhaps predictably, neither pope wanted to go so, for a time, the world had three popes!”

Galea, whose past writing projects have included Porn The Musical and pantomimes Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin, has developed a penchant for writing for younger audiences.

“I try to write things that I’d imagine myself enjoying when I was that age,” he says. “Unlike the pantomime, which is a fun challenge that I look forward to, the script for a More or Less show starts off with loads of research.”

Once he decides what details will be kept for the play, Galea starts building the narrative. He explains that each piece in the repertoire undergoes a lengthy process of development as the team keeps fiddling around with it to eliminate bits that don’t work as well as they should and to speed up any lulls.

“Though we now have three plays, I can safely say that none of them are fully finished,” Galea says. “With each of them there is also a strong element of improvisation since no two audiences are exactly the same. Thankfully, in Joseph, I have a very versatile performer who can always be relied upon to make a scene look great. So why not leave your history books at school and join us for a quick, fun-filled and interactive lesson instead? It will definitely be a giggle!” he grins.

The Complete History of Europe (More or Less) will be held on Thursday, Saturday, April 21 and 22 at 6.30pm at the St James Cavalier Music Room.

www.sjcav.org