A good panto is for life, not just for Christmas. It's been 14 years since the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and company last hit the MADC's pantomime stage, but the message behind the story remains as poignant and important as ever before.
With a script by Malta's panto master Alan Montanaro and Steve Casaletto's direction, audiences are treated to a true dose of Christmas spirit and cheer with no shortage of comedy and sheer artistic talent.
It's a show with no shortage of the usual panto tropes, which are predictable yet timeless at the same time, and likewise no shortage of the type of political satire and innuendo that will leave the adults in the room chuckling and their children innocently wondering what's going on.
This year's journey takes us from the streets of Victorian London on Christmas Eve, into the cold and grey shell of career miser Ebenezer Scrooge (Stephen Oliver) as he laments at how many people owe him money. Any effort to even mention Christmas - even by Scrooge's only employee Bob Cratchit (Edward Caruana Galizia) - is shut down, until the old man, by now the recipient of the crowd's fullest of boos, feels benevolent and grants his worker Christmas Day off.
We are taken into Scrooge's bedroom as he is visited by the ghost of his past business partner Jacob Marley (Noel Zarb) who warns him of his impending condemnation to the (literal) shackles of punishment should he not change his ways, and tells him that he will be visited by three Christmas spirits - Christmas Past (Mandy Randon), Christmas Present (Joe Depasquale), and Christmas Yet to Come (labelled in the programme as being played by 'himself').
What follows is a journey which takes audiences through the 1960s (with the help of some 'panto magic'), the innards of a flashy cabaret club, the depths of hell, and right back to Victorian London, this time on Christmas Day.
It is a timeless Christmas story ably brought to life by the MADC's excellent cast and crew.
Alan Montanaro shines as he always does in the role of the panto dame - Dame Schnookums, gracing the stage in a pair of heels which seem to get higher with every passing scene and a wardrobe of costumes, designed by Nicole Cuschieri, dazzling enough to wow the crowd.
Veteran actor Stephen Oliver is the quintessential Ebenezer Scrooge as he portrays the character's miserly nature with aplomb, but gradually comes across with such empathy that it feels almost natural for the audience to come onto his side as the show goes on.
They are backed up by a cast of well-known names who bring the show and script to life beautifully. Edward Caruana Galizia's Bob Cratchit adds a level of thankfulness and innocence in what is portrayed to be, at least initially, a very grey and glum world while Franco Sciberras' Mach A Villian fills the role of the greedy, money-driven antagonist - perhaps as relatable a panto villain as they come given what goes on outside of the theatre - to devastatingly good effect.
And as always it's the chorus which acts as the glue that holds everything together. This was a somewhat smaller chorus than usual, with many of them holding double roles throughout the show, but it is one neck deep in talent.
Panto is a feast for the eyes as much as it is for the ears, and the chorus' dancing in particular, choreographed by Martina Galea, standing out as they brought the musical numbers directed by Ryan Paul Abela to life.
Regulars at the MADC panto will note that what was missing from this year's show was the live orchestra - something down to the space limitations of the venue - but John Cutajar on the piano was something of a one-man band in and of himself, bringing the various musical numbers to life.
Indeed on the topic of the venue, this year's MADC panto is staged at the newly restored Salesians Theatre in Sliema - a first for Malta's most historic theatre company, which is more used to the stages at the Manoel Theatre and, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Mediterranean Fairs & Conventions Centre in Ta' Qali.
It's a venue which brings with it some particular challenges compared to others: it's a far more smaller stage, with space coming at a premium - with the risk that the spectacle generally associated with the panto being lost.
But there is no such worry of that in MADC's production: if anything, the show feels more homely than it ever has before.
Central to making use of the space at hand is the set, designed by Claudio Apap. It is centralised around a revolving set, the likes of which can be seen in bigger theatres abroad but which is rarely used in the local theatre scene. With no possibility for backdrops coming down from the flies though, this was the perfect opportunity to make use of this setup.
The MADC has developed a reputation for its pantomimes over the years, and that's why tickets sold like hot-cakes as soon as they were put on sale.
This year's edition builds on that reputation, and can be filed very neatly into the shelf called 'Pantos you just don't want to miss.'