The fascinating history of the Maltese islands during the tumultuous World War II has been documented countless times, but it is always the humanity behind the factual textbooks which keeps tugging at our heartstrings and inciting our curiosity.

Nowhere better than Strait Street to revive a love affair between a chorus girl and an RAF officer, which eventually turned into the young girl’s love affair with the island itself.

Christina and Adrian Warburton

Strada Stretta Concept, led by artistic director Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci, under the auspices of the Valletta 2018 Foundation, have facilitated the production of a new short musical sponsored by The Phoenicia Malta and The Mackintosh Foundation.

Star of Strait Street, written and directed by Philip Glassborow, centres around the life and love of Christina Ratcliffe, a British chorus girl whose dreams of getting a  lucrative preforming engagement and touring the world, led her to Malta in the late 1930s – an island which stole her heart, along with that of the dashing and highly- decorated Wing Commander Adrian Warburton, one of the RAF’s most prominent aces and crucial in the defence of Malta.

Nowhere better than Strait Street to revive a love affair between a chorus girl and an RAF officer, which eventually turned into the young girl’s love affair with the island itself

In a two-hander featuring Geoff Thomas as musical director and onstage pianist, the weight of the roles are played by Polly March as an older Christina Ratcliffe living in Malta in the 1970s, reminiscing about her prime during the war years, and Larissa Bonaci as the young Christina. The latter takes the audience on a musical journey which traces her relationship with Malta from 1937 on her first six-month performing engagement, onwards into the outbreak of war and her life then – from changes in priorities and her involvement at Lascaris War Rooms as a plotter to rallying the troops with her own cabaret troupe, The Whizz Bangs.

Glassborow’s script is based on the writings of Ratcliffe herself, who spent the rest of her life in Malta, till her death in the late 1980s, as well as the historical book on Warburton by Paul McDonald.

Ratcliffe’s on and off love affair with Warburton is the romantic gold in terms of storytelling but what emerged the most was her strength of character and resilience during some of the most terrible times which Malta ever endured – as well as her love for the island and its people.

Christina with her orchestra.

In a preview presented last Saturday, March was great in her portrayal of a feisty older woman who has seen the world change and lived through history – transmitting charm and that British stoic spirit which makes everything bearable with sharp wit and good humour.

With light choreography by Emma Loftus, March’s Christina introduced us to her younger self – a naïve and earnest young woman played sensitively by Bonaci. Both women took on various other roles, filling in for friends, colleagues and Warburton himself, but Glassborow’s clever little script managed to weave in these reports and reveries into Christina’s conversations with herself.

For indeed, the performance ran as a dialogue between maturity and youth, all the while revealing the strength of the characters involved without relinquishing the importance given to the setting.

Larissa Bonaci as Christina.

Part nostalgia and part artistic reimagining of the people involved, Star of Strait Street, set at The Splendid, which fills in for Christina’s real cabaret venue The Morning Star – a cabaret bar originally owned by the artistic director’s family during the war – highlights the “small world” coincidences which make Malta so familiar and which in part stole Ratcliffe’s heart, after the war broke it.

A highly enjoyable show which traces the human elements of Malta’s wartime past, while showcasing quality talent and a story which is both intriguing and endearing. Definitely one to watch.

Star of Strait Street is being staged at The Splendid today, tomorrow and Friday at 9pm and 10pm. All shows are fully booked but the Strada Stretta Concept will be touring the show later on. More information with upcoming performances will be sent to those sending an e-mail to starofstraitstreet@gmail.com.