It may still have been an hour or so until the start of the Burlesque Inquisition but already my soirée of merriment had begun: I had been given the task of finding our venue for the evening, Nigret Nightclub. Up and down through Rabat, round and round the Mtaħleb roundabout… I searched, feeling increasingly shamed by the grumpy faces enveloping me in the car.

Then, finally (with a little bit of help from Google and a few, calming deep breaths) we found it – like a beacon of light on an out-the-way-street. And what a beacon of light it was.

You see, I am a big fan of alternative venues. I love the Mediterranean Conference Centre and Manoel Theatre with all my heart, but nothing quite beats the excitement of watching a new piece of work in a place you’ve never been to before (even if it was rather hard work finding it).

So the Burlesque bunch were getting points for originality before I’d even made it up the stairs. And the subsequent climb was well worth it. Nigret Nightclub is a feast for the senses. Bedecked in fairy lights, maroon paint and silky fabrics, I was instantly transported into a kitsch-as-can-be version of the 1970s – complete with rows of tables topped with paper sheets and leatherette chairs.

There was a brilliantly-relaxed feel to the whole event – the 11th in the Dazzle Troupe Burlesque series so far, all of which have been dreamt up and directed by Nicole Cuschieri.

This time it was all themed around the dark days of the Inquisition, so wenches wandered through the crowd as audience members mingled by the bar or sat down for dinner beside the tiny central stage (I had the salmon, which I won’t recommend, but that’s a whole other review).

We were introduced to the inquisitor himself, a larger-than-life transsexual played by the very talented Joseph Zammit

Soon, after our designated slices of Maltese bread and accompanying margarine squares had been served in a faux-wood basket, the real action kick started. The Wench, played by Marie-Claire Pellegrini, gave us a quick overview of what to expect, and it became clear that the Inquisition-linked jargon would be coming thick and fast that evening.

It was at this point that we were introduced to the inquisitor himself, a larger-than-life transsexual played by the talented Joseph Zammit. Zammit, whose theatrical experience oozes out of every sequin, took hold of the piece and served as the glue that bound the rest of the acts together.

Throughout the proceedings he was absolutely integral at keeping the energy high, and his laugh lines came quick and fast from atop his perch at the back of the stage. This is one gifted performer (although I did miss hearing him sing this time around) and he kept his audience on a noose-edge throughout.

Several other performances stood out. Alex Vella Gregory got his laughs from behind his keyboard, Leona Gold wowed with her slinkiness and stilettos, and Becky D’Ugo was suitably prim as she lamented about how hard it is to find a good man when you’re cloistered in a tower.

There was a bit of oomph thrown in to blend with the oh-la-la burlesque tradition, with a racy dance by Sarah Lanzon (who moonlighted as a less risqué court jester), some pert pectorals from Rambert Attard, a helping of moody wrestling from Yannick Massa and Joe Depasquale, and a striptease of sorts from Marie Claire Camilleri and her strawberries. There was some sterling writing too, thanks to the combined efforts of Vee Stivala, What’s Their Names Theatre, Teo Reljic, D’Ugo and Zammit.

And while I have absolutely loved so many of actor Philip Leone Ganado’s cynical comedy skits in the past, his stand-up routine did fall a little flat this time around (possibly because it was delivered too quickly for the audience to keep up with the Inquisition-based jokes).

In his later performance, though, in a sketch called The Future, Leone Ganado put on a brilliant show alongside Nathan Brimmer, as the two pitched marketing ideas to a rather miffed inquisitor. This sketch closed the Inquisition and made a laugh-out-loud job of it.

Finally, after a merry curtain call, the jubilant atmosphere lived on while the cast and crew joined the crowd for a post-production giggle in the unprecedentedly-cheesy surroundings. It seems there were quite a few stars out that night, and the Nigret Nightclub was one of them.