By the end of today, half of us will be celebrating and half of us will be crying, but one thing’s for certain: we’ll all be laughing at this year’s panto in summer for adults – Little Red Riding Hood.
The show will have a wonderful cast – Steve Hili mentions them further down and the editor doesn’t like it when I repeat myself – but it is the writing of the show that makes the adult panto special, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is down to Hili.
First, a bit of background about Hili before you read his answers: He started getting involved in theatre in the early 2000s – first through acting and then writing – before he began creating his own thing, going to fringe festivals, international comedy tours and gigs all over the UK and Europe. He’s even had scripts shortlisted by the BBC.
Oh, and he also loves bosoms, as you’ll find out soon enough.
Steve, you’ll soon be appearing in the adult panto in summer Little Red Riding Hood, which you also wrote the script for. Where did the idea for a panto in summer for adults come from?
I have always loved the traditional Christmas panto and I have been lucky enough to take part in a few. During the long hours of rehearsals, I would often mess about with other members of the cast, coming up with naughtier storylines or song lyrics. We knew that none of this could ever be used in the show, of course… The traditional panto is a kiddies’ show, after all. But then I started thinking, what if it wasn’t?
The election result is coming out today and we are going to have a number of jokes about that in our show
What inspires your script for the adult panto? And what does the ‘adult’ in the name mean exactly?
Everything and anything can be an inspiration: from my personal life to the world in general. This year, politics obviously plays a big part, especially as we try to make the satire as topical as possible. For example, the election result is coming out today and we are going to have a number of jokes about that in our show, so as you read this I am madly updating everything!
But, really, anything can inspire you. For instance, last year we had a scene where the princess showed the prince her boobs. The scene kept growing and growing until it was this epic showpiece with waving flags, dramatic music and the whole cast crying on stage. And that was all inspired by emotions I feel in my heart every time I see boobies.
Where were we? Ah, yes, it is an ‘adult’ show, but more than anything else it is just about being silly. One thing we always bring up when describing the show is that it is for adults, but not necessarily mature ones. However, there is another side to the whole ‘maturity’ debate. If you are capable of laughing about your politics one week after a general election, you are pretty mature in my book.
I’m pretty much sold by the themes of adult humour and politics… But how do these come together?
Politics and naughtiness are a great mix anyway. Just ask Silvio Berlusconi! But with regard to the show, bringing everything together is a process that has to work on lots of levels. This year, for instance, we’ve teamed up with the wonderful Undine LaVerve, who is bringing her burlesque moves to a very famous political anthem. The over-arching element is, of course, silliness – and once the people involved ‘get it’, it all works perfectly, and new, funnier connections and links spring up all the time.
That is why choosing the cast is a big deal for me because the ideas that they bring to the table during rehearsals are awesome! And that is why I am excited to have my best cast ever: Malcolm Galea, Taryn Mamo Cefai, Larissa Bonaci, Joseph Zammit, Joe Depasquale and Gwilym Bugeja – apart from Undine, of course. With a group like that, the show has no option but to get madder and madder!
In just a few months’ time, you’ll also be heading to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform Burning Love. To the Ground (with lasagne). That’s a very original title there…
Yeah, it is a solo stand-up comedy show which answers the biggest question of all: What is love? And I answer that question with the help of some lasagne and a woman who used to be a Page Three Girl!
It got rave reviews when I did it in Malta and the Brighton Fringe Festival, so Edinburgh was the next step for it. I have done the Edinburgh festival before and it is the greatest place in the world in August, with thousands of shows to choose from and creative people all around you. Last year, I was doing a very late night show that was lots of fun, but ended up being little more than improvising with drunk heckling audiences. This year, I have, thankfully, got a better time slot!
And you also published a book not long ago, called State of the Nation. Well, with the election result coming out today, the nation’s not in a particularly great state, is it?
The idea behind the book, and indeed the adult panto, was that we, in Malta, need to learn to laugh at ourselves. Unfortunately, election campaigns tend to bring out the worst in some people. Social media becomes a bit of a free-for-all, and people lose the ability to argue rationally. But now that is all over, and we can hopefully come together again. Starting by everybody coming to the adult panto and laughing at these damn politicians instead of fighting over them!
Right! So, one final question: After Edinburgh, what’s next?
World domination. But that might have to wait till after I’ve had a short holiday.
This year’s adult panto in summer – Little Red Riding Hood – is being produced by Ants in Pants and will be held at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier, Valletta, on June 9, 10 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 – with a special late-night performance (which includes a free drink) on June 17. Tickets are available online or by calling on 2122 3200.
www.kreattivita.org