It’s been just under two years that Jamie Cardona created the most unlikely of theatre hits, turning one church school student’s misadventures into a hilarious takedown of religious hypocrisy and toxic masculinity. Now, here he is with a follow-up, Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s. Or, what happens when the church school student grows up and hits Paceville.
So far, Cardona’s Midas touch has been pretty unfailing, so the question was whether the encore would be just as spectacular. First, the deets.
Table of Contents
Noti Mil-Loki Tal-Big G’s production details
| Play | Noti Mill-Loki Tal-Big G’s |
| My Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) |
| Producers | Jamie Cardona, Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur, FM Theatre Productions, Luke Mercieca |
| Script & Interpretation | Jamie Cardona |
| Musical Compositions | Jamie Cardona & Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur |
| Direction | Vikesh Godhwani |
| Technical Director | Dylan Odom |
| Music Direction | Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur |
| Production Manager | Leah Davies |
| ASM | Lisa Mifsud Bonnici |
| Trigger Warnings | Language, Sex |
| Age | 18+ |
| Running Time | 2 hours 15 mins, no interval |
| Dates | February 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 and March 1 |
| Venue | Mediterranean Conference Centre |
| Language | Maltese |
Noti Mil-Loki Tal-Big G’s – the narrative
Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s is pretty straightforward as stories go. Our hero gets his heart broken and he promptly jumps on a merry-go-round of drunken nights. Until things happen, and he decides to stop self-sabotaging. But it really is not about the story; it’s about what Cardona does with it.
Cardona’s script comes with a remarkable degree of self-deprecation and vulnerability. While the narrative is (presumably) not entirely auto-biographical, it’s clear that there’s a lot of the real-life Jamie in there. Much like Jesse Cave does with Sunrise, he lays himself open for the audience, warts and all. He spotlights every single bad decision, every insecurity, every selfish action in flashing neon lights – sometimes, literally.
The result is hilarious. It works because it feels exactly like a conversation you’d have with your friend the day after the night before. However, well into the second half of the show, the tone shifts without any warning. The quips are suddenly replaced by introspection and self-awareness, until we eventually reach a moral of sorts. Mid-Djarju ta’ Student Fi Skola Tal-Knisja kind of did the same, except that the serious undertones were present throughout, interwoven within the whole narrative. Here, it feels like this part was tacked on as an afterthought.
My issue with this is not the juxtaposition of humour with pain, but with the way the audience is asked to recalibrate too quickly, without the slow build-up that would make that evolution feel natural. In the musical Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin Cardona also takes on a role that is initially introduced as comic relief. As the musical progresses, layers of emotion are added almost imperceptably, so the poignant conclusion feels earnt. With Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s’, the shift from farce to emotional depth happens too abruptly. A spot of workshopping would probably have solved this. Without revealing any spoilers, the narrative includes a secondary plot revolving around blackmail, but this lacked jeopardy.
The cast
I wouldn’t quite call Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s a one-man show, but Jamie Cardona very much carries the bulk of the weight on his shoulders, supported by an incredible production crew and strong direction. The actor is a whirlwind on stage, slipping between four or five characters with the help of nothing more than a wig, a baseball cap, or a shift in stance. His portrayal of Mandy is a comedic masterpiece. So is the booty call that never was, where he plays both sides, so to speak. It could so easily have ended up being crass and unfunny. But Cardona makes it land, as he does all his other lines, and the entire theatre bawls with laughter.
Throughout the show Cardona plays himself, his BMW-loving bestie, his ex, his prospective crush, a friend who’s giving him medical advice, the Big G’s barman, a Bay Radio colleague… I’m sure I’m missing something, but you catch my drift. It’s a lot. The characters are all stereotypes, but cleverly portrayed. Cardona latches on to that one small detail that instantly tells us everything we need to know about whoever he’s playing, and we’re on board.
It’s a complicated show to pull off, with Cardona constantly switching between speaking directly to the audience, talking to different cameras, moving the action to the infamous Big G’s loki and other backstage areas. He never falters, with the transition between each part taking place seamlessly.
The performance also includes puppetry by Theatre Anon. We’ve got Qalb (Milena Pellicano), Pulmun (Maya Debono), Stonku (Eva Mallia Consiglio), and Dudina (Raisa Hili). Kudos to Hili in particular, as her movements manage to convey an entire personality, despite the fact that it’s Cardona voicing the puppets. I never thought I’d see the day a lifesize penis puppet convinces me that it’s bowing bashfully.
Direction, staging & music
Noti Mil-Loki Tal-Big G’s is directed by Vikesh Godhwani, who once again brings a taste of the unexpected to the stage. Godhwani never plays it safe, and he has the vision and the discipline to turn every risk into magic. We’ve seen it with his work in Djarju, and with Aura, A Musical in the Dark.
Noti includes dozens of moving parts, and it could easily have been a chaotic mess, leaving the audience with a headache. Under Godhwani’s direction, the chaos is carefully orchestrated. He breaks all the rules, and the result is wonderful. There’s no blocking; the production team is pulled in as part of the cast; the stage is crawling with cameras; and the audience often has to rely on footage (both live and recorded) to follow what’s happening.
There are so many reasons why this should not work. After all, it didn’t even quite work for Dracula director Kip Williams. Yet, not only does it work, Godhwani somehow makes it look effortless. He positions the live band vertically, on all sides of the stage in a move reminiscent of Phelim McDermott’s adaptation of My Neighbor Totoro. Acting, live music, puppetry, sound, and screens all come together seamlessly without competing with each other.
Staging (Mattias Schembri ‘Potter’), light design (Andre Micallef), and sound engineering (Sergio Costa) work in synergy to amplify both the energy and the emotional undercurrents. In a production this tightly calibrated, the slightest misstep would have unravelled the whole thing. But there was no such misstep. One of the funniest moments of the show is when Cardona’s character messes up and – to show us the enormity of what has just happened – all the screens on stage simultaneously flash the most Maltese of insults. A simple plot device in theory, but one that actually requires technical precision and significant directorial nerve. The show has both, also thanks to impeccable technical direction by Dylan Odom.
The original music, performed live on stage, plays an important part in Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s. Music director Aleandro Spiteri Monsigneur has become the name to keep an eye on in theatre. His original score for The Great Dictator was on point, as was his musical direction for Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin. Under his direction, the band performs as an integral narrative force, shaping mood and momentum. The show also includes five original songs written and sung by Cardona, and composed by Cardona and Spiteri Monsigneur. They add just the right tone, expanding on the story-telling without tipping the production into a full-blown musical. Kartolina is a beautiful study in bittersweet contradictions.
Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s – verdict
It’s no coincidence that Cardona won the Young Creative Practitioner Award and Godhwani landed the Creative Practitioner category at the Premju Għall-Arti 2025. The work that these two have done in the past months, both together and separately, represents some truly game-changing moments for Maltese theatre.
This power duo doesn’t disappoint in Noti. The flaws in the script are offset by Cardona’s sheer charisma on stage and Godhwani’s directorial mastery. Which is not to say that it’s not a shame, because when a production shows this level of technical precision, tonal daring, and performative stamina, the abrupt narrative pivots feel all the more conspicuous.
That said, I’m also here to tell you whether the production is worth your time and ticket money. Absolutely. If it’s pure entertainment and a laugh a minute you’re after, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find better than Noti Mil-Loki tal-Big G’s. Just like with the upcoming Il-Ħajja Sigrieta tan-Nanna Ġenoveffa, the feel-good factor is real.
Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out Reviews
I received no payment for this Noti Mil-Loki Tal-Big G’s review and I was offered press tickets. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the producers had no input/control over what I wrote. There are no affiliate links contained within this page. To learn more about my policies and my reviewing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page. To better understand what my rating means, check out the details of the star system.
