Theatre
Three Times Funnier
Salesian Theatre, Sliema

A year in satirical review is what theComedy Knights are specialising in; and they’ve certainly hit upon the winning formula for their venue of choice.

Staged at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema, this comedy sketch show is undoubtedly skewed in its political critiques, with the Labour Party at the receiving end of their incredibly witty jokes, but the skits are done so very well that they make for a hilarious viewing experience.

Opening with a distinctly Maltese version of Bohemian Rhapsody in which the melody was the only thing which remained intact, Freddie Mercury would have pardoned the cast for having revised the lyrics to sum up the entire zany year of local current events. Several other songs made it to the line-up this year, with I Wish I Could Go Back to Gonzi based on I Wish I Could Go Back to College from the musical Avenue Q, sung by Chris Dingli, Tom Camilleri and Pia Zammit; Costa Boy, a Maltese version of Taylor the Latte Boy sung by Camilleri; the sketch The Plan to Win the Next Election, which featured an ode to the leader of the Opposition entitled Shut Up Simon; and, of course, Don’t Cry for Me My Melita sung by Zammit as the glamorous and misguided Michaaallle Muscat.

Of all those mentioned, I didn’t quite enjoy Marc Cabourdin’s It’s Just 5 Miles, a traffic version of the Pretenders’ 500 Miles, in spite of its funny send-up of our gridlocked lanes and obsession with driving rather than using alternative methods. The two better pieces were Shut Up Simon and Don’t Cry for Me My Melita, which Zammit interpreted brilliantly.

The skits are done so very well that they make for a hilarious viewing experience

Indeed, her Michaaallle sketch The First Lady: Fifty Shades Darker, was one of my favourites of the evening, highlighting Zammit’s skills at mimicry, her very good singing voice, and her sharp comic timing. Camilleri’s Costa Boy was technically good, but it was in A Maltese Patrijott and Black Milied that he shone. His Maltese Australian accent in the patriot sketch was spot on, as were his dry, well-timed remarks as the black boyfriend of a Maltese girl – a revisted sketch from last year, which builds up on his relationship with his fiancée’s awkward parents who try hard to be open-minded but fail miserably. Zammit and Cabourdin as the parents were great to watch and the internalised bigotry and misconceptions of the Maltese were properly exposed.

Chris Dingli in the sketch A Public Address.

When it comes to odd encounters between families, the sketch New Neighbours showcased Cabourdin’s ability to create a nouveau riche sleazy husband, with his chavvy wife, interpreted perfectly by Larissa Bonaci, complete with hoop earrings, leggings and big hair. These two contrasted with the snobby Sliema couple comprised of Jo Caruana and Chris Dingli, who managed to exude the bourgeois quirkiness and self-importance astonishingly well.

Dingli and Bonaci also shared good dynamics in (Re) Brand Malta, where they tried to rename various Maltese localities by joining syllables from various names together, with disastrous consequences. From A Public Address (a send-up of the CHOGM faux pas) to A Filipina is Not Only for Christmas, Dingli managed to bring the house down with his naturally charismatic funny-man acts and his talent for witty scriptwriting. Playing a yuppie husband who wants to get a Filippina maid for his wife as a Christmas present, Dingli’s reactions were hilarious, as was the much awaited scene between the Sliema Girls, who discussed charity work in the Maldives this year – with Caruana and Zammit on top form as usual.

This year’s mandatory piece had to be undoubtedly about the terrorist group everybody loves to hate – those publicity seeking psychopaths, Aijsis, who have a discussion contemplating infiltrating Malta and giving up because the country is too confusing even for bloodthirsty criminals.

Colin Fitz and Steve Hili’s civil servants in Department Office couldn’t have been more realistic or irritatingly funny, while the whole ensemble pieces The Comedy Knights Awards saw the cast inviting the real Simon Busuttil on stage to receive his Knot-sculpture award and Christmas at Castille saw a Dickensian- style Christmas Carol apparition of Dom Mintoff haunting Joseph Muscat and taking him into his past as a student at St Aloysius College, where he encounters all the people who plague him now, from Busuttil to DCG, and learns why their current dynamics are the way they are.

The Comedy Knights have provided mirth and mayhem to packed houses for the past two weeks, and the knack of knowing your audience certainly helps sell tickets – a much-deserved break at the end of the year.