MADC has always been top of the class when it comes to pantomime and this year is no exception as the club is breaking new ground as they fly an actual car above the MFCC stage for their pantomime, Un-Believe it! This is the first time a car has been flown on a Maltese stage.

Executive producer, Martin Azzopardi, admitted he was a bit worried by the daunting prospect of identifying the right car model, but when scriptwriter, Alan Montanaro, insisted on having not one but two versions of the same car, the idea was almost abandoned completely.

"Un-Believe it! is based on childhood classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so we needed a battered, old version of the flying automobile," explained Mr Montanaro, who will also be playing the scrumptious role of dame Vera Tastee.

The solution came from car collector, David Arrigo who loaned not two but three Fiat Barchettas, with the third being a drivable one for promotion purposes for the Christmas show.

The next challenge was of course to get the Barchetta to sprout wings and fly. "It would have been much easier to build a contraption for the car to merely go up and down, but I wanted it to do more," said director, Nanette Brimmer. "I wanted the car to be able to tilt this way and that and to fly at different angles to simulate the journey our heroes have to take in order to reach the magical land of Kitchnick."

Joshua Borg, a 19-year-old mechanics prodigy and his partner Ronnie Spiteri of Triton Carnival Company came up with the solution in the form of a folding-arm contraption that can sustain the weight of the car as well as the four actors who are lucky enough to fly around the MFCC stage.

Set designer, Claudio Apap explained that the starting point of the design was always going to be safety, and ensuring that the actors in the car as well as those singing and dancing below and to the side of the car are safe from any eventuality so the contraption is a little cumbersome and has effectively blocked two entrances onto the stage but the bulk of the equipment is confined to the wings and the whole show will work like a well-oiled machine.

Ms Brimmer described the excitement of the cast as palpable. "We've been rehearsing every day for the past six weeks and I believe we've got a very tight show that's got something for every generation. We're offering yuletide gold."

Un-Believe it! runs until 8 January.

For further details and booking visit www.madc.com.mt; send an email to [email protected] or SMS on 7777 6232.