Masquerade has proven once again that a pandemic-induced hiatus did not dampen their commitment to quality entertainment. In a great collaboration between writer Malcolm Galea, producer/director Anthony Bezzina and musical director Kris Spiteri, this year’s Ċikku and the Chocolate Panto was indeed a very enjoyable afternoon out. Malcolm Galea’s great script and characterisation reimagined Roald Dahl’s much-loved story into a zany Maltese concoction as frivolously funny as a prinjolata. Galea’s typically pepe Dame Desserta, was as hilarious as his previous iterations of the lovable seasonal caricature and the buoyant delivery of his lines blended seamlessly with his audience interaction. Under Spiteri’s musical direction, Valerie Burke’s choreography came to the fore against the backdrop of Romualdo Moretti’s vibrant sets. The vibrancy was extended in Simona Mamo and Ernest Camilleri’s fantastic costumes. The cast of the panto. Dame Desserta’s son Ċikku (Nathaniel Attard) works for a pittance in Mr Meaney‘s (Marco Calleja) factory producing chocolate-covered vegetables – which, we were assured, are as horrid as they sound. Meaney’s bookish daughter Millie (Martina Galea Loffreda)...
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