‘Festa tal-Qaddisin, hadd ma jista’ għalina!’

The shock a saint feels when he descends on earth to observe how his feast is celebrated in our country was overwhelming. A saint who finds a small boy as his only ally, and finds the rest of the town against him. This is a new spectacular social comedy about feasts, with the inclusion of popular band marches that are customarily heard in feasts from our bands. In this work the difference between the original aim of feasts and how we quite often transform them to fit our purposes is evident.

Saint Crispin came to know from someone in heaven, how well his feast is celebrated. Malta is well known with the saints; how feasts are pompously organised in their honour. This third century saint, Saint Crispin, is venerated by a feast in one of the island’s localities. He is a saint that lived in poverty, was martyred and venerated as the patron saint of cobblers. This saint told Saint Peter that his wish was that for once he could descend to enjoy his feast on earth, or to be more precise, in our country. Saint Peter was opposed to Crispin’s idea, because he was well aware how Malta’s feasts are not wholesomely religious. Nevetheless, Crispin’s pleas were heard and Peter gave his consent; Crispin was to descend on our island during the week of his feast.

Everything was to Crispin’s heart’s content since his arrival on earth. The world has changed since his last sojourn in it. In this locality, the streets are decorated sumptously for his feast, and the place could not be more delightful. This heartens Crispin as regardless of what Saint Peter told him, there was nothing that one could complain about.

Crispin is delighted to hear the approaching band marches. He falls instantly in love with the distant music and tries to imagine the praises sung to God through such sweet melodies. But he gets a cold shower when the marching band approaches nearby − “his” supporters were singing dispregative lyrics towards “the other side”, Saint Catald that is. Saint Catald and Saint Crispin are great friends in heaven, and therefore Saint Crispin is displeased with the dispregative marches and songs against his best friend. He also notices that brawls are easy to occur in these marches.

However, how do the locals greet him? Do they accept him in their feast? Do they believe him when he tells them that he is indeed Saint Crispin? Do they let him celebrate with them? And Peter, was he right in disagreeing with Crispin about his visit on earth? These are some of the episodes that we are going to witness − comic relief and a little moving scenes. These are the sweet ingredients that will keep the audience smiling and interested in the proceedings.

This work has a melange of well-known and new actors including: Renato Dimech, Joe Quattromani, Manuel Cassar, Marvic Cordina, Silvio Axisa, Aiken Buhagiar, Jurgen Ciantar, Shelby Aquilina, Claudia Mizzi, Dolan Debattista, Patrick Tanti, Veronica Mizzi, Josette Ellul, Orietta Cardona and Jake Cauchi.

Written by Joe Julian Farrugia, directed by Mario Micallef and produced by Teatru Manoel, the play will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9, 10 and 11 November at Teatru Manoel. Age: 12+ Tickets can be selected and bought from Teatru Manoel’s website www.teatrumanoel.mt; by email on bookings@teatrumanoel.mt or by phoning on 2124 6389.