Daily rehearsals from 8pm – 11pm may not seem the best way to spend the weeks leading up to Christmas, but when you’re young (and not so young) and full of energy, somehow it all becomes worth it because… it’s all for the love of Panto.

As I walk into the rehearsal rooms at the MADC playhouse I am met with what sound like blood-curdling screams. But it’s merely the group of actors known as the ‘chorus’ being put through their paces by director Frederick Testa for The Remarkable Voyage of Sinbad (the Tailor).

“What you are hearing is standard Panto. There are two levels in this genre”, explains veteran MADC member Alan Meadows. “You’ve got the basic fairytale for the children, where you have conflict between good and bad and in the end, good triumphs. This includes the essential element of slapstick when the Dame, for example, says, ‘when you see the baddie, warn me!’ On the second level you’ve got the adult part of it, the risqué jokes, double entendres, and a little bit of political satire.”

Panto is to Christmas what figolli are to Easter. It is a ritual, an annual show which, despite being a leftover of the British presence in Malta, has become as much a part of the social fabric as window displays of baby Jesus lying in his crib.

Much like a soap opera, Panto has a set cast.

There is the baddie, the one that the children love to hate. This year, coming back for another bout of evil cackling laughter, is Isabel Warrington in the role of Nefferaria.

You’ve got the Dame, the over-the-top character being played with customary, indefatigable gusto by Alan Montanaro, who has more than 300 Panto performances to his credit.

Then there are the young lovers, the prince and the princess who have obstacles put in their path before they can finally be together. Newcomers Steffan Cheriet Busuttil and Eliza Borg have these lead roles.

So how do MADC, who have been producing Panto for the last 30 years, manage to keep the idea fresh and pull in new and old audiences year after year?

Alan puts it down to the same reason children insist on the same bedtime story night after night, “It’s something they feel comfortable with, which is reassuringly familiar. The audience is an integral part of Panto, and the synergy between performers and the live audience is incredible.”

The biggest change for MADC this year is that they are leaving the Manoel Theatre and going to the Ta’ Qali tent. It is a bittersweet moment for old hands like Alan, but he can see the advantages – “we are going to a bigger venue, with a bigger stage, and we can do things which at the Manoel were impossible, such as pyrotechnics. We have brought the seating forward so that the audience is closer to the stage, and are only using part of the tent, to keep it intimate.”

THE CAST

Isabel Warrington: “I’ve only done two Pantos, in 2000 and 2002. To be honest it was a bit crazy to take this on, because More 4Play nearly killed me, but somehow I was persuaded to do this. However, this is a nice break from work and I enjoy being the baddie, I wouldn’t want to do anything else. I don’t know why I love it so much, probably it’s because on a bad day, it’s how I would love to act in real life!” she laughs with unabashed glee. “A stressful day at work is usually enough to get me into evil mode. I must have a very bad side to me, which loves to come out. Nefferaria is after the elixir of youth and is obviously greedy, always after more power. She is basically an old, craggy old bag, like me!” Isabel bursts into another peal of laughter.

She admits that dragging herself to rehearsals is often hard, “It’s only difficult until I come here and then once I start, it takes my mind off things and I switch off. It’s like being a kid again; you can fool about with your character, it’s good fun. I enjoy being around younger people, I find it healthy, although sometimes, by the end of it… when they’re a bit too cheerful, I feel like punching their lights out. Although that’s good I suppose since I’m the witch!”

Alan Montanaro: “Panto is great fun and I love doing it. When I’m not in it, I miss it, when I’m in it I say I’m going to take a break. This one is looking promising. I think it’s a healthy Panto if the first show has had additions so that the last show is slightly different. Things are happening all the time; in fact I tell the cast that if they can think of a funny gag which can be added to the show, to let me know. The challenges this year were threefold: moving to a new venue which is both scary and exciting. Having Sinbad the Tailor as opposed to the ‘Sailor’ gives me carte blanche to be creative so I’m not tied to a popular fairytale. And finally I was asked to re-introduce my very first Dame, Zeza who was in the original Panto Sinbad the Sailor in 1991.

There are, of course, the staple elements, such as the spoof of the current Maltese entry for Eurovision. I am confident that the show will be fantastic. As everyone knows, there are two Pantos this year, so I respect everyone to go watch whichever Panto they prefer, what I do not want is people to go watch the Panto at the Manuel where we have been for the last 30 years, thinking that it’s us.”

Steffan Cheriet Busuttil is a familiar face and television viewers will recognise him from L-Isfida. He has been away for four years, attending a course at Arts Ed. College in London, now he is back “indefinitely” and this year’s Panto will be his first performance.

“I only found out about the auditions by chance through a friend, which is a good thing, because Panto is good fun. I’m predominantly an actor, even though we did musical theatre in college. Personally I’m not a fond believer in being an all-rounder because I think it’s better if you focus on one thing. I specialised in acting for the screen, the complete opposite to Panto, which is the caricature of acting.”

Eliza Borg is another “product” of L-Sfida; this is her first attempt at musical theatre, and her first Panto. “I’m learning a lot in a short time,” she admits. “After Sfida I took part in the songwriters’ showcase which we won, and I was then approached by the management of Chasing Pandora and worked with them for a while. Then the band Tribali approached me and I started singing with them. After that, Alan Montanaro phoned me and asked me to try out for the Panto and I was very pleased when I got the part. It’s a different experience, and I’ve always wanted to do this.”

Ralph Mangion is another veteran – this will be his tenth Panto, and this time he is playing Cyril the Minstrel. “I started off in chorus, and gradually got some cameo roles until I eventually began getting leading roles. I miss Christmas at home but I keep coming back because of the fun. Now, my family is in it too; my wife is doing props and my youngest son is in the chorus. As the Minstrel I will be singing songs from scene to scene and being a pain in the butt to the Dame, and realising at some point that I’m in the wrong show. Every Panto I say this is my last one, but when auditions come along, I get the vibe again.”

The chorus

The chorus, made up of 32 people, is like another character in Panto. This year it is made up of many familiar faces, as practically half of them took part in Voices. The rest of the chorus also have a solid musical theatre background. What they all have in common is a desire to be part of the fun of what being in Panto is all about. They were chosen after the process of auditions, in which they had to sing, dance and act. They all agreed that the dancing bit was the hardest “because you have to learn the choreography there and then”.

“I would say the chorus is the most difficult part of the show and requires the most commitment because we are on stage most of the time,” said one of the chorus members. With nine dance routines, numerous songs, various costume changes, and playing different characters from one scene to the next, you need stamina to be in chorus. It is no surprise that on the day I visited they were all being given their flu jabs. As they pointed out to me, “we are the backbone of Panto, without us there wouldn’t be a show!”

The director

Frederick Testa is directing his eighth Panto and he admits that he only came back this year because of the change of venue. “The Manoel is not a challenge any more for me. We’ve designed the stage the way we wanted for once. The fountain of youth is a 30 second silver fountain of fire.”

Frederick is notorious for his fiery temper but he insists that although he loses his cool occasionally, it’s all quite harmless. “We all go out for a drink afterwards. You can’t control a big cast by being soft-spoken. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work. It’s all an act really, the explosion bit.”

The stage manager

Downstairs, artists and carpenters are busy bringing the lavish Peter Howitt sketches to life. Overseeing this whole operation is Lino Mallia, the stage manager, who has been involved with MADC as backstage crew for about 15 years.

“The role of the stage manager is to co-ordinate all the different departments, from the director to make-up to costumes, to the set designer, to the artists who paint the backdrops and the carpenters who build the set. I have a team of skilled people, and once we move into the theatre the various sections fall under me. The crew has to memorise how each scene is ‘dressed’ so that they know exactly where all the props have to go. During a blackout, the scenery has to be moved within 30 seconds. I have to make sure the lighting is set correctly and supervise the transport of the scenery to the venue.

I also have to co-ordinate the cast and orchestra, which come to about 80 people, for whom I am responsible. This year the biggest headache is that we have several enormous ‘cut outs’ which are almost 6 metres high; it’s like building a carnival float.”