I’ve seen a lot of pantos, I’ve even been in a few. I’ve laughed through the great ones, cringed through the not-as-great ones, booed at a lot of baddies and cheered a lot of heroes. They all tend to blur into one sugar-fuelled, vaguely Disney-inspired me­mory after a while, but some things have a way of standing out. Teatru Malta’s GawGaw – A Panto in the Dark is one of those.

Chucky Bartolo as the Dame in GawGaw – A Panto in the Dark. Photo: Elisa von Brockdorff

Written and directed by talented local exports Marta Vella and Vikesh Godhwani, GawGaw was an experience unlike anything else on the local theatre scene. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s a first anywhere in the world. How often do we get to say that in Malta? While audio-based theatre productions are by no means a first, there are a few key differences between GawGaw and the trend that’s been creeping through theat­rical circles over the past decade or so. First of all, to the best of the production’s knowledge, there has never been another pantomime performed in this manner, and secondly, they’re often pre-recorded.

Pre-recording a production like this would certainly have been the easiest route, but by far the worse choice for this show. The argument can be made that theatre requires the basic building blocks of performer and audience to exist and, lacking one of those elements would have turned GawGaw into a different creature entirely.

More than your standard plays and musicals, pantomime requires something more from its audience than silence and applause – it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a panto audience is as much a character as the ones on stage. Or in this case, the ones on your headphones. I’m sure this presented a challenge to the production team, as well as the four talented actors making up the entire cast, but it’s one that I feel they rose to admirable.

Given the ability to react to their audience in real time gave the cast of GawGaw the opportunity to lend their production a little more magic. If this fascinating experiment happens to become a yearly outing, one thing I’d certainly like to see is even more opportunity for cast-audience interaction.

I’m not sure how the infamous panto punter scene would work if you can’t see the poor audience member the Dame has chosen as her victim, but I’m sure the creative minds at work here could cook up something to make use of Chucky Bartolo’s improv talents.

Speaking of talents, I was blown away by the cast of only four people who managed to bring to life a show that would normally take 20 or more people to round out. With a little imagination on our part, and a lot of versatility on theirs, Chucky Bartolo, Samuel Farrugia, Davinia Hamilton and Joseph Zammit brought the characters to life in the minds of the audience.

I’ve seen casts five times the size of this one never quite reach the level of energy this fabulous foursome managed with just their voices and a few clever microphone tricks. They also had a little help from a team of helpers out in the dark, helping to guide us through the more creative sensory experiences forming part of this unique show.

To top it off – the cherry on top of this Christmas cake – this production soared, where I feel that a lot of pantos in recent years have faltered: the script. Marta Vella and Vikesh Godhwani’s script was just the right blend of funny and heartwarming, with a sprinkling of political humour for the grown-ups and silly jokes for the kids (and the grown-up kids).

At just over an hour and 15 minutes, the show managed to skip the bloat that can sometimes make pantomimes feel more like marathons. Of course, it’s easier to do this when the dance numbers, costume changes and scenery are all in your head, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Vella and Godhwani kept their script on track and tight in all the right places.

With its wonderful mix of vocal performances, a stellar script, and some technical inventiveness, GawGaw is my favourite local show I’ve ‘seen’ all year (no nitpicking that term, please). Thorough­ly fun for the whole family, and inclusive of all audience members’ visual needs, GawGaw was enjoyable from start to finish. Next year, I’m asking Santa for another round of this show to fill December 2019 with just as much festive cheer. Be there! Just be sure to bring your imagination and a healthy helping of Christmas cheer.