Two years ago, at Christmas, a small show made on a shoestring budget opened at St James Cavalier. With only five dates booked, it could easily have slipped under the radar. Audiences however, flocked to it. What made this show different from the usual Christmas shows was that it was a comedy for adults and that it featured no script.
It sounds implausible, but it worked. The show was called Dingle Bells Malcolm Smells and was the brainchild of actors and friends Malcolm Galea, Chris Dingli and Wesley Ellul.
“The improvised comedy format actually came about by accident,” Chris Dingli told The Malta Independent on Sunday. “We had booked the theatre in advance with the intention of performing a comedy that we would write beforehand. Life got in the way, time passed and we eventually found ourselves approaching opening night without a script. Rather than panic, we decided to make the best of the situation. We certainly were not expecting the response we received.”
The three have been friends since their school days, and have been making other people laugh as a trio since then. They proved to be so good at it that each has gone on to make a mark in the world of performing arts: Wesley has directed many plays in the last few years, while Chris Dingli, after making a name here with noted performances in shows such as Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Show, moved to the UK where he is still based, working as an actor in various productions around the country. He is also a musician, a talent which comes in handy during his now annual Christmastime appointment with his old friends.
Malcolm Galea has also made a name for himself on Maltese radio as well as performing on stage and television and becoming a noted script writer.
Dingle Bells Malcolm Smells was such a hit that its run was extended to no less than 13 performances, each one full to capacity with extra seats added until the theatre could hold no more people.
The following year, the trio returned with a new show, also improvised. It sold out 14 performances, again to capacity. There were even reports of people returning to see the show night after night (the improvised element keep things different every show).
So what is the key to their success? According to Malcolm, “I think it’s the fact that we know each other inside out, we trust each other to come up with the goods, and that we are experienced. We’re also very tough with ourselves. We don’t allow ourselves to get complacent. If something isn’t working quite as well as we hoped, we’ll replace it with a better idea immediately.”
It’s this attitude of constant improvement that has led these actors to creating one of the island’s most hotly anticipated shows in less than three years. “Just because it’s improvised doesn’t mean a lot of hard work doesn’t go into it”, added Wesley.
“What you see in the show is probably only a tenth of what we would have come up with and discarded in rehearsals. It’s a very tough process, but the end result speaks for itself”.
This year’s show, Dingle Bells Malcolm Smells: The Secret of the Floppadong, promises to be their funniest yet, and is also their shortest run.
“I’m contracted to start an acting job in the UK at the beginning of January”, explained Chris who lives in London, “so I absolutely cannot extend my stay in Malta past our final performance on 30 December”.
Performances are at St James Cavalier from 21-23 and 26-30 December. Visit www.theatregonewrong.com for information about group discounts, chances to win tickets and other information.