Look out from Senglea point and for a moment imagine you glimpse a barren promontory… a desolate landscape. Let us now imagine the same piece of land during the three months of the Great Siege filled with multi-coloured enemy tents, armed Ottoman troops and the air resounding with creative oaths. Once the defeated Turkish empire retreated from these islands, they took everything with them, except for these colourful profanities. Those we gladly kept.

This is the starting point of Xagħret Mewwija’s story, a play that takes the audience on a fast-paced tour of the founding, building and development of Valletta, as a capital city, up to the present day, Valletta 2018.

Dragut is the narrator in this play. The Ottoman general might have died here but his soul remained trapped on this little island; a witness to all thatMalta endured.

He spied on the Maltese as they plotted to oust the French, revelled with the British sailors in Strait Street, although regretfully he was just a ghost; looked on as the Royal Opera house was accidentally burnt, restored and later irreparably damaged during WWII leaving it the roofless relic it is today.

The audience is in for a treat of an interweaving of facts and fantasy with a high dose of comedy and satire.

Taking part are Rachel Micallef, Maria Farrugia, Joe Pace, Charles Sammut, Joseph Galea and Carlos Farrugia. Trevor Zahra is the script writer and original music is composed by Augusto Cardinale. Production and direction are both in the hands of Joseph Galea and Carlos Farrugia.

Xagħret Mewwija is on at the St James Cavalier Theatre today and tomorrow at 8pm. Tickets are available online at www.kreattivita.org.

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