Theatre
Just4Laughs
Salesian Theatre

Well those funny people are back at it again. With a fourth year under their belt, The Comedy Knights’ show this year is titled Just4Laughs and suggests the audience “have themselves a funny little Christmas”.

Uwejja? Mela! Jo Caruana and Pia Zammit return as the Sliema Girls.

The line-up has changed slightly this year, with Wesley Ellul still directing, but with all sketches written by Steve Hili and Chris Dingli. Having whittled down the creatives, one would have thought that the show would have a more cohesive idea but this year it suffered from a severe case of repetition, where old sketches were either rehashed or extended from the previous years. Unfortunately, not all of them worked as well.

It was very much a mixed bag this year – especially since 2016 has been so rich in new material to make fun of.

The recurring characters who never fail to hit the mark, however, were Pia Zammit’s new instalment in the All Hail Mixall saga – which I must say, did not disappoint. Neither did the Sliema Girls, who were their usual ridiculous selves, in a formula which has been updated with great results by adding Chantelle Micallef Grimaud as a no nonsense waitress to Zammit’s and Jo Caruana’s ditsy ladies.

Their dynamic was great to see because of the clever new dimension which Micallef Grimaud added, with her dry comebacks to their wide-eyed incredulity.

Their dynamic was great to see because of the clever new dimension which Micallef Grimaud added

This year the Sliema Girls had a new addition with their male counterparts, the Balluta Boys finally making an appearance in their own sketch which was hilarious because it was so frighteningly accurate at making fun of a certain type of man-baby who thinks that Ralph Lauren and the occasional Maltese swear-word makes him an adult. This sketch showcased Dingli, Thomas Camilleri and Marc Cabourdin’s great coming timing.

Red or dead: Marc Cabourdin and Thomas Camilleri in Panama the Panto.

While the extended sketch Panama was rather ineffectual; as was the Maltese Waiter School and Ira Breaking on Water – which were rather exaggerated and stale in content. It did at least nail the annoying intonation of the English in-flight instructions on Air Malta, highlighting how grating they are on the ears.

Other instalments of Dingland, Gejtu at the Euro Court of Auditors and the morph-suited Musical Interlude were bolstered by several new musical numbers like We Can Do It, spoofing Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Celine Dion’s All By Myself, an opening credited to Brooks again with I Wanna Be a Politician and Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of Panama – which were excellent musical spoofs and showcased the cast’s clear musical talent but seemed rather too plentiful, as though compensating for the weaker sketches.

A nod to international politics in Quitter saw Caruana as a chavvy woman regretting voting for Brexit to Hili’s stony-faced bureaucrat. While Colin Fitz played a convincingly exasperated pharmacist trying to explain to a gay couple (Cabourdin and Camilleri) that they cannot use the morning after pill in The Morning After Boys.  This, along with The Salott Support Group, Stranger Things and Trumping Up Simon worked well and injected a much needed levity to an otherwise rather tired formula.

Glamest dame in town! Colin Fitz with Chris Dingli in Panama the Panto.

This year’s Comedy Knights were entertaining but felt slightly branded and pandered to expectations without too much innovation, nonetheless bagging plenty of laughs from newer members in the audience.

Those who have tasted the formula multiple times could do with a stronger shake up next year.

It is a brand of comedy that thrives on the current and while it didn’t capitalise on it so strongly this year, it was still a very watchable show.