Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541680
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 NOVEMBER 2025 THEATRE rebellion: 'Tis the season for panto do will comfortably sail over the children's heads and land as intended in the lap of the grown-ups." Montanaro admits that political humour is not his favourite, and that he has always preferred timeless comedy and character– driven jokes that do not depend on who is in power. He includes political touches because they are expected, but he keeps them purposeful rather than overdone. "We have had to make some script chang- es in the past – but that was before I even started writing them myself, so we're go- ing back a long while," he says. Montanaro describes it as a show with something for everyone. Children fall in- to the fairy-tale world while adults enjoy the layered humour and larger–than–life performances. It is this combination of grounded classic storytelling and contem- porary lightness that he believes makes Snow White a standout choice for families searching for a guaranteed good time. A chef's touch to panto Edward Mercieca says he approached Robin Hood with a chef's touch. He sees the tale as a classic mix of good against evil, seasoned with romance, spiced with two teenage Sliema babes, and given plen- ty of flavour by the villainous Sheriff, the village bumpkin Bankina and the ever– boisterous Nurse Vaxine Vassallo Vella. This recipe, as he describes it, results in the unmistakable taste of panto fun. Mercieca says that FM Theatre's Robin Hood is not just a panto. It's Malta's on- ly Rock And Roll Panto, a genre, Mercie- ca has cultivated through years of playful extermination. Here, the cast are the mu- sicians. Nine performers switch between acting and playing, filling the stage with 20 live rock and roll numbers from the sixties, seventies and beyond. It is a high–energy show designed to thrill not only children but also the adults who grew up with that music. Mercieca affectionately notes that even dads love it. "It's a very simple formula really—what- ever the gags, anything double entendre must never be understood by the kiddies but easily absorbed by the adults! The kids then love the slapstick, the silly walks, the cartoon noises, the hero and heroine, the defeat of the baddie. The booing and the hissing and the singing along. Robin Hood is a one stop shop for complete family en- tertainment at its best!" he explains. As for political satire, Mercieca believes panto is one of the few genres where writers should not pull all their punches. Audiences must be able to laugh at them- selves and at public life. He and his team monitor audience reactions from the first performance, adjusting jokes and adding new references if something in the real world sparks an opportunity. "Panto script is alive right up to the last curtain call," he says. According to Mercieca, what sets Robin Hood apart is the rock and roll identity that no other panto in Malta offers. It is fast, colourful and packed with live perfor- mance energy that sweeps audiences into what Mercieca calls a "tsunami of fun". For anyone who has never seen a Rock and Roll Panto, this is the year he insists they should not miss it. Bringing a creative lens to Alice in Won- derland Rodney Camilleri Gauci's panto is the single theatrical opportunity he has each year to write, co–produce and embody the Dame, a character he sees as a paradox of extravagance and fragility. He says that this year's panto in Maltese will be Alice, F'dal-Pajjiż tal-Meravilji. The Dame is not, he stresses, about cross–dressing or LGBTQ themes. The comedy comes from a large man dressed in lavish costumes who is trying and fail- ing to be a woman. That failure is the joke, the charm and the space where audiences suspend disbelief. Camilleri Gauci embraces the madness of the role. A Dame can get away with almost anything, though every wig, dress and exaggerated gesture risks becoming a wardrobe malfunction. The character is built slowly over time. With each year, there is more acceptance, more nuance and more clarity about what the Dame means in Maltese panto culture. Alice in Wonderland gives Camilleri Gauci space for bold adaptation. He ex- plains that panto is multi-layered, and his team is highly self–critical as it builds the story. Their Wonderland mirrors a Malta in crisis, with casinos, gangs and parties that feel both surreal and familiar. It be- comes a parallel Malta filled with double meanings, including a double gang in both worlds and a Queen of Hearts ruling over chaos that reflects social tensions. Nos- talgia also shapes the satire. Festivals that once felt intimate now seem like heritage sites, while constant parties and memories of past tragedies influence the world they create. Camilleri Gauci explains that balancing political jokes requires reading the pulse of the people. Audiences instantly detect bad taste or bias. They know when a joke is cheeky rather than cruel. Camilleri Gauci recalls how in 2013, when Malta's politi- cal landscape shifted dramatically, Labour jokes were suddenly off limits. Over the years, as the atmosphere changed, those jokes slowly returned, and when timed correctly, the reactions were explosive. Taste, timing and an honest sense of where the audience stands are key. The spirit of Maltese panto Together, these four pantos highlight the variety and enduring appeal of the genre in Malta. Each production draws on tra- dition while bringing its own creative ap- proach. Whether through detailed sets, engaging comedy, live music, or thought- ful satire, this year's shows offer audiences a festive season of entertainment, humour and lively storytelling that captures the spirit of Maltese panto. Ali Baba will be on from 21 December till 5 January at Teatru Manoel in Vallet- ta. Tickets can be purchased from https:// teatrumanoel.mt/event/ali-baba-the- panto/ Snow White will be on from 23 Decem- ber to 5 January at Teatru Salesjan in Sliema. Tickets can be purchased from https://madcportalui.azurewebsites.net/ productions/production/13 Robin Hood will be on from 26 December to 30 December at Teatru Astra in Victo- ria, Gozo. Tickets can be purchased from https://teatruastra.org.mt/events/2025/ robin-hood-and-the-babes-in-the-wood Alice, f'dal-Pajjiż tal-Meravilji will be on from 26 December to 3 January at the MCC in Valletta. Tickets can be pur- chased from www.ktrmalta.com. This panto is fully in Maltese. Alice, f'dal-Pajjiz tal-Meravilji