Malcolm Galea and Joseph Zammit’s The Complete history of Europe – More or Less does manage to give a history of Europe that is reasonably comprehensive in 60 minutes. Young people, and older ones who have never tried to find out how our continent has developed through the ages, are made to latch on to key events through clowning and buffoonery. Events such as the crusades, the black death and the war of Spanish succession, together with important personages like Genghis Khan and Napoleon Bonaparte are covered; in this way, the audience may perhaps be stimulated to find out more through reading or internet searches.
Galea and Zammit are the sole performers on a stage that is almost bare, the main feature being a large map of Europe. Galea represents the teacher type, trying hard to transmit accepted historical facts. Zammit is an anarchic presenter, not at all finicky about facts and eager to have fun in what he says and does. He loves to dress up and to wear long, droopy black moustaches. When, early in the evening, Galea speaks about the labyrinth in Minoan Crete and the Minotaur (half-man and half-bull), who lived in it, Zammit brings on his favourite toy, a mini-cow. This cow appears again and again, leading to explosions of irritation from Galea.
No event or personage is taken entirely seriously
No event or personage is taken entirely seriously; for instance whenever the word ‘iron’ is pronounced, whether it is the Iron Age of early civilisation or the Iron Chancellor, Prussia’s Bismark, Zammit brings out a modern clothes iron with a winning smile. Julius Caesar, Isabella and Fernando of Spain, Christopher Columbus and Napoleon are all presented comically (Fernando is brought on as a ventriloquist’s puppet) but their historical significance is always hinted at.
Since this show is aimed mainly at children, the script treads carefully in depicting the Church’s role in the crusades and in the great rift of the Reformation. I thought the treatment of the crusades was clever, showing up their futility, an initially papal enterprise that turned out to be a tremendous failure for Christendom. The sight of a comically-fierce Zammit as an Islamic warrior knocking off with his weapon the mitre of the Pope (Galea) said it all.
The War of the Spanish Succession is presented in panto fashion, with two kids from the audience being used as King Carlos of Spain and the Archduke Charles respectively, and the audience divided into the two warring camps, hurling a pretty large ball at each other. Great fun was had by all, children and adults.
The 20th century is represented by the two horrific world wars, and the creation of an international European grouping to make peace more possible. Unsurprisingly, the script steers clear of Italian and Spanish fascism, German Nazism and the Shoah, and in this part the fun was more muted. The ending, with its presentation of the national flags representing all the current members of the European Union, invited young and old to think that, whatever the magnitude of the EU’s problems, through it Europe’s peace and prosperity now stand a much better chance than in the past.