As 2024 dawns, it’s time for a great new season of Brillanti every Thursday night with local talent sparkling under the spotlight as contestants compete on screen for a total of €30,000 prize money to use to develop their artistic talent.

It’s only been two years since Brillanti began and yet, it has been a great success story. The show was the most popular programme on One TV in the whole of 2023 and it’s no surprise that we’re all keenly awaiting the new series.

Joseph Chetcuti, Brillanti’s creator, had long dreamed of giving glittering opportunities to talented youngsters across the Maltese islands – something he found lacking as a teenager.

“I am a violinist and I’d have loved to be a professional musician, but it wasn’t an option in the early 1990s; so I studied to become a lawyer instead. I’m also a talker,” Chetcuti grins, “and so I also became a TV presenter.

“Because I didn’t have the chance to follow my dreams when I was young, I was keen to give young musicians, dancers and other performers the same sort of publicity here that Eurovision provides for pop talent.”

Brillanti creator and presenter Joseph Chetcuti.

With international judges and top-notch production standards, Brillanti now provides a professional platform to showcase performers in other genres. So far, the programme has put instrumentalists, classical jazz voices and then dancers centre-stage, providing colourful entertainment for TV viewers.

“We were thrilled to have exceptionally high viewing figures,” said Chetcuti. “Last year, during its prime-time slot, more people were watching Brillanti than any other local transmission.”

This third series is focusing on musical theatre which, since it involves singing, acting and dancing, the presenter says is a big challenge for anyone.

This year, the Brillanti judges are Marina Maniglio, a highly acclaimed Italian performer who lives in Germany where she is playing Satine in Moulin Rouge; Marco Stabile, a performer, musician and heart-throb best known for his famous recording of Renato Zero; and head judge Charles Brunton, a bright-eyed Broadway and West End performer with a brilliant comedic streak.

More than 200 applicants sought to make it to the Brillanti stage.

“This colourful ensemble of characters are the programme’s backbone,” continues Chetcuti.

“They’re a fun team, and they’ve made an art of disagreeing with one another! Charles, for example, is full of humanity, while Marina is passionate but harder to please. She says it as she sees it because she’s always trying to get the best out of people!”

The show has seen more than 200 applicants, of whom the top 70 were chosen for the preliminary auditions. Chetcuti says they were surprised by their quality, and they vary widely in age from five to those in their 30s.

You’ll see fear and tears as well as joy

In the auditions, for example, look out for a youngster performing Ciao Papa from Pinocchio.

“My jaw dropped when I heard him,” says Chetcuti. “He should be singing that song in the West End! And this year, we have a special prize for the best promising performer, someone who has great potential but hasn’t had time to develop it fully.”

The series’ songs are chosen from classic musicals like West Side Story and the more obscure, from Juke Box musicals to much-loved Disney shows. There are rousing numbers, passionate performances, humour (like A Friend like Me from Aladdin), and real tearjerkers, including With You from Ghost. “It was so beautiful I cried my eyes out!” the presenter admits.

The Brillanti finale will take place at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta.

“Emotions run high throughout, both on stage and behind the scenes,” he continues.

“You’ll see fear and tears as well as joy. Expect dedication, high drama and some surprises, including timid performers who come alive as they sing.”

There’s also a striking ‘couples’ performance on an LGBTQIA+ theme, and a heart-warming moment during Do You Hear the People Sing? from Les Misérables when a lad steps up to help a fellow contestant, he says.

“There’s disappointment too, of course, as people leave the show. Because the contestants become like a family, it is very hard for everyone, especially me when I have to tell them that their time in the competition has come to an end.”

“Every performance is a spectacle with lighting, costumes, backdrops and props – if someone asks for a lamppost then we’ll provide one! Luckily I’m an avid hoarder of curiosities, some of which have proved very useful,” chuckles Chetcuti.

“One contestant needed a scary doll for a song by Miss Hannigan in Annie and I happened to have bought one recently that was perfect!”

The series’ songs are chosen from classic musicals like West Side Story and the more obscure. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

From the original 70 contestants, 25 progress to the quarter-finals, and 14 to the semi-finals, each of which has an additional Maltese judge. The semis run for six weeks, each with a different theme including ‘Classical Duos’, ‘Love’ or ‘Villains’ until only five finalists are left battling it out in the final for the first prize (€15,000).

“The Brillanti finale in the Manoel Theatre promises be spectacular with a twist in the tale,” grins Joseph.

There are additional prizes for second and third places (€6,000 and €4,000) and smaller prizes for other finalists to help them pursue their careers, all thanks to the support of Arts Council Malta.

Brillanti: Musicals begins on January 11 at 8.30pm and runs for 14 weeks. The show is repeated at 1.30pm on Saturdays. It can be also viewed on one.com.mt.