Reaching 100

Ask any local theatre company what's holding us back in Malta and their reply will probably include the word "volume" - or rather the lack of it. With just 400,000 people to entertain, how can anything hope to capture enough of their attention to run for more than a few days? As a result, shows generally rehearse for weeks or months and then perform for a mere weekend: what an anticlimax!

And it's for that very reason that the cast and crew behind Knights Spectacular 1565, shown every Thursday at Monte Kristo Estates, are celebrating their success so vivaciously as the first local show to reach its 100th performance.

"When we set out to create a weekly show for Malta everyone told us we were crazy and assured us that it wouldn't last," explained the show's artistic director Salvu Mallia. "That just fuelled our determination to prove them wrong!

"I heard about the idea for the show about 15 years ago. Henri Mattocks (one of the directors behind the producing company MK Leisure) brought the idea back with him after being inspired by a mediaeval dinner show while on holiday in the States. He told me that he wanted to do something like that one day, but for a long time that's all I heard of it!

"Years later he came back to me with the idea and we started working towards a production. Given my theatre background I wanted to create something that would entice audiences, and meanwhile my love of history meant I was able to blend a historical story with excitement to come up with the show we have today."

The plot revolves around the epic tale of the Great Siege, a glorious page within Maltese history books which has fascinated Mr Mallia for years.

"Against all odds, just 600 of the world-amous Knights of St John and some 9,000 Maltese defenders withstood and vanquished the might of a 40,000-strong Ottoman war machine, a veritable superpower of the 16th century. Cannons boom and swords clash as men confront each other in deadly battles, but in the end, and as the show proves, it is true love that conquers all."

With Mr Mallia at the creative helm, he came across known performer and choreographer Marisa b. and the ball really got rolling.

"As we didn't quite know what to expect, those early days were a struggle," she explained. "But now we've been running once or twice a week solidly since December and we play to packed houses. It's definitely been a success.

"I think audiences enjoy the fact that the show is so visual. The script is also fantastic but we've had to acknowledge that a large percentage of our audience may not be fluent in English so we've opted for a very physical show with a lot of dance and music.

As the lead performer, I tell the story through monologue and song, while the rest of the cast take on a more visual role. The score by Maestro Paul Abela really brings the story to life too."

The story plays out within the purposely-built arena on Monte Kristo Estates in Ħal Farruġ.

"Our audiences are well looked after throughout the show," continued Mr Mallia, "and another novelty for Malta is that it's a dinner show. As the story unravels, patrons are served a meal with free-flowing wine by attendants donning mediaeval costumes. And don't forget the 50-strong cast and eight horses! Plus the sword-fighters, fire eaters and stunts people. There's certainly never a dull moment!

"One of the nicest aspects for me has been watching the cast develop over the year since we started working together. There has never been an opportunity like this for local performance artists before - the chance to perform every week without fail. It's the sort of show that can offer a lot of scope to a lot of performers."

The majority of the show's audience is made up of tourists keen to learn a little about Maltese history in an exciting way, but the team would like to attract more locals.

"I think a lot of local audiences feel they don't have much to get out of Knights Spectacular 1565, but they do. It's not just about our history but shows a lot of Maltese talent and they will be surprised by what they see. We always receive great feedback from everyone."

And with one show successfully in the bag, the team have now chosen to up the ante and embark on an exciting new project that will launch later this year - alongside Knights Spectacular 1565.

"Strait Street - Tales from a Red Light District is an original, all-singing, all-dancing musical about Valletta's own red light street which, from the time of the Knights of St John and up to the 1970s, was renowned throughout the Mediterranean," explained Mr Mallia who will be directing once again.

"Auditions were held recently and we are now on the road to creating our second full-time show. Mariza b. will be handling choreography and Paul Abela is creating a wholly originally score to set to the script and lyrics that I have written. Given the racy topic I think it will appeal to a huge audience and we're looking forward to starting performances later on this year.

"Considering the fact that we were told we'd never manage to sustain one show, it's certainly an achievement to be doing two!"