Iggy Fenech chats to local singing legend Chiara Siracusa, who will soon be taking to the theatrical stage for the very first time in her career in Dominic Galea’s original Maltese musical Il-Ħanina Maddalena.

Chiara in the role of Mother General. Photo: Chris Goa Farrugia

Wearing a leopard-print dress and rose-tinted sunglasses – short hair gelled back – she has her trusty Pomeranian, Toffee, in her arms. It’s quite a show-stopping moment when Chiara finally arrives at the café we had agreed to meet at.

Chiara, undoubtedly, requires no introduction. Since the start of her career in 1994, she has represented Malta three times at Eurovision, landing third place with The One That I Love in 1998 and second place with Angel in 2005. While she has seemingly gone rather quiet after Żarbun hit the airways, she has actually been making it big abroad, performing in dozens of countries including Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Germany.

“Eurovision opened so many doors for me,” she tells me, “I’ve since performed in 47 countries across the world… It was definitely my lucky break!”

There have been numerous moments throughout these past 24 years in the business when Chiara thought she’d call it quits, though, particularly when she became a mother to Ebony. But, as she admits herself, it’s impossible for her to let go.

“I’m turning 42 soon, so I’ve literally spent more than half my life on stage,” she says. “I love the thrill of performing, and that’s why I’ve never stopped. It’s in my blood. And that’s what I keep in mind whenever I say to myself to just sing at home and let the rest go. My singing is a way for me to give something back to the public.”

Chiara is never one to rest on her laurels, either. She’s constantly challenging herself and she may have just given herself one of the biggest challenges of her life over the past few months, when she decided to take on the lead role in Il-Ħanina Maddalena.

“What was I thinking? I’m not an actress!” she jokes. “But, well, when Dominic called me I was so pleasantly surprised I simply couldn’t refuse.”

Directed by Josette Ciappara, Il-Ħanina Maddalena deals with the Magdalene Sisters, whose convent in Valletta saw more than just praying and piety. Based on true stories of what the nuns experienced before and after they entered the convent, the original Maltese musical explores the scandals that first got them into the nunnery and the human stories that followed.

“It’s so heartbreaking to relive all that these nuns went through,” she continues. “We went to the actual chapel of the convent on Merchant Street and I got goose bumps as they gave us more and more more details about the lives of the women who lived there during the time of the Knights.”

Chiara’s role will be that of Mother General and there are many plot twists when it comes to her character, including a part in which the Grand Master of Malta himself gets involved.

“He’s my ex-lover… in the musical, that is. You know, it’s not that easy to get in character when you’re not trained as an actress. At the beginning, Josette used to tell me about all the things this man had done to my character prior to rehearsing that scene, but I found it difficult to get angry at the other actor. Don’t worry, though, I’ve since become much better at getting annoyed at the Grand Master.”

Chiara has gone through some intense training and personal soul searching for this role and she has since excelled in her part, earning her the praise of her director and cast mates. And turns out, she’s really enjoying her time on stage along with the rest of the team – and wouldn’t mind taking on similar roles again!

What makes Il-Ħanina Maddalena even more exciting, however, is just how much it draws from local pop culture. Joining Chiara on stage will be Amber, Leontine, and Dorothy and Samaria Bezzina, to mention but a few. Meanwhile, the story was written by Simon Bartolo and the lyrics by Loranne Vella – the same writers behind the Tal-Fiddien trilogy. Then, of course, there is the story itself, which revisits a dark part of our collective history that was only brought to an end upon Napoleon’s arrival to Malta.

“It’s going to be a fabulous show, honestly! It’s all come together incredibly well and I cannot wait for the first performance… Although, I am a bit anxious. I have a fear of stairs and the Mother General’s office is up a flight of steps on the stage,” she says, looking slightly worried but still in good spirits.

Commissioned by Valletta 2018 Foundation and Festivals Malta – and supported by TVM, the Malta Film Commission along with the Valletta Local Council – Il-Ħanina Maddalena is part of this year’s Malta International Arts Festival. Following the success of last year’s Balzunetta Towers, it is undoubtedly set to go on to become one of the summer’s most talked about happenings… And, with nine dates confirmed so far, there’s no excuse to miss Chiara’s debut on the theatrical stage!

Il-Ħanina Maddalena shows at Pjazza Teatru Rjal in Valletta on July 18, 20, 22 and between the 25 and 29.

www.ilhanina.com