With comedy as their weapon of choice, the Comedy Knights are back with a bang for the seventh edition of their annual revue. Director and co-producer Wesley Ellul sheds lights on the much-needed satire this year’s audiences can expect
As we hurtle towards the end of another year, one thing seems clear: we need to let off steam. 2019 has been a tumultuous year for us here in Malta and the wider world, and most people I meet are hopeful the holidays will bring some light relief.
For the past six years, the Comedy Knights – the sell-out show at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema – has enjoyed giving people an opportunity to do exactly that, and to reflect on ‘12 months of funny’, if only for a few hours.
This year, the team is taking that responsibility even more seriously, and lead writers Chris Dingli and Steve Hili have spent the past few weeks penning up-to-the-minute content with plenty of politics digs, as well as tongue-in-cheek social commentary that gives us an opportunity to giggle at the many wonderful things that make us Maltese.
“For 2020, the show is subtitled 007: Licence to Laugh, which reflects the number of years the Comedy Knights have been producing this annual sketch show. It promises to be always original, always topical, always on-point and, perhaps most importantly, always hilarious,” says director and co-producer Wesley Ellul.
Curiously, one of the main questions would-be audience members ask, is how the team keep the show relevant year-on-year. “We keep ourselves as fresh and updated as possible,” continues Ellul, who adds that, this year, the Comedy Knights are also presenting a family show at the same venue, called Holly and the Dreamcatcher, written and directed by Malcolm Galea. “We aim to be on the pulse of what islanders are feeling and talking about so they can really relate to what we’re doing.”
Chantelle Micallef Grimaud, Steve Hili and Colin Fitz will be on stage in the Comedy Knights show from Boxing Day to January 12.With so much happening in the news at the moment, we are poised to keep adapting the content right until the last moment
It is a formula that seems to work, as the Comedy Knights have packed houses since their first edition in 2013, hitting record numbers at each consecutive edition. To do this, they present a mix of well-loved characters that return every 12 months, along with new faces who bring something innovative to the show. Patrons look forward to this format, and love hearing the characters’ trademark catchphrases, including “U ejja, mela!” and “Bis-serjetà, mhux ovja!”, which have also made their way onto the Comedy Knights’ popular range of merchandise.
“Audiences constantly ask us what is going to happen next to the Sliema Girls, the Bormla Babes, Mixal and the Balluta Boys, and we look forward to continuing their journeys,” Ellul explains.
The whole team, which features comedians Dingli and Hili alongside Marc Cabourdin, Pia Zammit, Jo Caruana, Thomas Camilleri, Colin Fitz, and Chantelle Micallef Grimaud, also look forward to their annual appointment, and their chemistry on stage is part of what makes the show so appealing. “Every member of the troupe is part of an extended family. Like most families, we don’t spend a lot of quality time together, but for one month of the year, we are the closest-knit unit that you will find,” he says.
It is that that keeps the team coming back, and dedicating their festive season to laughter time and time again. “It’s going to sound cheesy, but hearing the audience laugh and bringing joy at this special time of year is our favourite part of the whole thing, and it hits the mark every time. That’s definitely why we do it and we listen out with excitement to hear that first big laugh every opening night on Boxing Day; we’re always nervous in those first few minutes until it comes!”
But that laugh does come, which sets the Comedy Knights on track for one of Malta’s longest annual runs, in which the show will continue to develop until its final curtain on January 12. “Some of the shows’ biggest fans book tickets to come and see us on opening night and again on closing night, because they want to see how things evolve,” Ellul says. “And with so much happening in the news at the moment, we are poised to keep adapting the content right until the last moment – which is part of the fun for us, and definitely keeps the actors on their toes! We do actually suggest our patrons keep up with what’s happening in the news, because it will make them appreciate the show that much more.
“So, yes it’s been a big and challenging year but we all believe that finding moments to giggle and unite is what will get us to the other side stronger than ever. As a team, we’re excited to play a role in helping our audiences to do exactly that, with satire and, of course, plenty of laughter,” he adds.
Comedy Knights 007: Licence to Laugh runs from December 26, 2019, to January 12, 2020, (except December 31 and January 1 and 6). Recommended certificate is 14+. Comedy Knights Juniors: Holly and the Dreamcatcher will be performed on December 20, 21, and 27-30 in association with More or Less Theatre. Both shows are at the Salesian Theatre, Sliema. More information and tickets at www.comedyknights.com.