As director Wesley Ellul gears up for The Comedy Knights’ Let’s Talk About Six!, he takes a trip down memory lane with Iggy Fenech to discuss how a satirical show turned into a cultural phenomenon that continues to break its own records every year.

It’s been six years since The Comedy Knights made their debut on the Teatru Salesjan stage. Featuring six well-known names in theatre and with a script by Steve Hili and Chris Dingli, the troupe took audiences by surprise as they lashed out (playfully, of course) at politicians, traditions, mindsets and universally-accepted Maltese truths.

The concept was not revolutionary in itself, but the unapologetic execution of it was. No one was spared and, from Norman Lowell’s rants, to Malta’s obsession with the Knights of St John, the satirical sketches explored Malta like never, before while entertaining audiences.

“I think one of the things The Comedy Knights brought to the scene was a sort of social barometer. By seeing the work we produced and how many of the characters they could actually relate to, audience members were able to gauge how good or bad they were doing,” says Wesley, who has directed all five Comedy Knights shows and has retained the role for the upcoming one.

Looking back, The Comedy Knights were bold from the very start. The boldness includes the time of year when they decided to hold their show: the one traditionally dominated by family-friendly pantos. Yet, the merging of social dialogue, satire and comedy proved to be a winning formula. This year alone, pre-sales shifted over 50 per cent of the tickets; a remarkable feat for any production, let alone a satirical show.

“We want people to laugh at themselves and understand that it’s okay to do it…  And it seems we’ve struck a chord, as year after year we keep seeing substantial audience increases. Moreover, I think we’ve also had the opportunity and privilege to say things that people think but may be afraid to say. I think audiences appreciate the fact that The Comedy Knights speak up for them.”

Now, comedians Chris Dingli, Pia Zammit, Colin Fitz, Jo Caruana, Steve Hili, Marc Cabourdin, Thomas Camilleri and Chantelle Micallef Grimaud are getting ready for another sold-out run. But, as Wesley points out, this year’s production has a very different flavour and tone to last year’s… For more than one reason.

“Last year’s show, we found ourselves in a place where our audiences were scared, frustrated and angry, where people didn’t want to laugh. And so, we reflected this by dealing with the issues head on.” Among these issues were the brutal assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, corruption, and the out-of-control building spree.

We want people to laugh at themselves and understand that it’s okay to do it

“Does it feel the same this year?” he muses. “Well, to answer that, you need to ask yourself: what is the sentiment on the island right now? We always ask ourselves what is relevant to our audiences; what the issues our audiences face in their day-to-day lives are; what the things they are laughing about with friends and complaining about in private are…”

Keeping it fresh year after year has also been a challenge, Wesley explains. After all, while our politicians and society at large keep giving us new and priceless things to joke about, they can also become somewhat repetitive when placed in a similar context.

“While you may see the reappearance of some audience favourites – like the Sliema Girls, Mixalle and the Balluta Boys – we always make sure the jokes are new and different. For example, while the Sliema Girls are known for their ‘U ejja? Mela!’ routine, it’s long since that’s been the focus of their sketches. We treat these character differently every time by always giving them new, funny situations to deal with – and this year will be no different.”

One such example is of what happened when the Sliema Girls – based on the stereotypical idea of what a woman born and living in Sliema is and does – met their Vittoriosa counterparts. While seemingly placed at the opposite ends of the spectrum, the sketch had an underlying message: we’re all pretty much the same, even though the language we use and our experience of life may be different.

And that is the beauty of The Comedy Knights: the fact that they capture the spirit of the previous 12 months, and offer us a way to sit down and relive the wildest, most what-the-hell-just-happened moments from the year from a distance.

As for Wesley himself, this year’s show will also be the culmination of an eventful year, which has seen him become a dad for the second time to baby Laura; sign up international superstars Boyce Avenue as shareholders in Quizando and Quizando Live (the latter of which is a revolutionary new concept that will change influencer revenue generation), joining the blockchain world and winning the ICO Award at Sigma.

“Yeah, it’s been quite the crazy year… But not as crazy as Let’s Talk About Six! is going to be,” he assures me.

The Comedy Knights’ Let’s Talk About Six! takes place between December 26 and January 13 (bar December 31) and January 1, 7, 8 and 9 at Teatru Salesjan in Sliema. The show is produced by Wesley Ellul, Chris Dingli and Marc Cabourdin.

www.comedyknights.com