Our favourite drag queen brings fairytales with a twist to this year’s Spazju Kreattiv children’s festival.
Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky looks set to give the local arts scene a deliciously different tone, with a set of 10 fables that have been re-imagined to offer endings with a twist. And, with storytelling in the fabulous hands of drag queen Chucky Bartolo, we just know it’s going to be a wild ride.
Of course, a production like Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky is not exactly everyday fodder for a local children’s festival ŻiguŻajg. And, while generally we have evolved enough to say with confidence that the majority will not bat an eyelid at this gorgeously conceived performance, this being Malta I simply have to put the question to the production team: how do they expect it to pan out?
This was exactly the starting point of my chat with ŻiguŻajg artistic director Marta Vella, Chucky himself, and Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky production director (and screenwriter) Vikesh Godhwani. It turned out to be a super fun discussion that really embraces the spirit of ŻiguŻajg, as Vella said, which is to encourage the younger generation to think outside the box and to push the envelope. And each episode of these 12-minute stories will undoubtedly do so.
The episodes are available in bilingual format, with the Maltese version beautifully translated by Leanne Ellul – in one case, the Maltese fable actually has a different ending to its English version, so enjoying each fable in both languages might not be a bad idea at all! Moreover, each episode of Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky also offers an interactive elements, encouraging the young listeners to foster their writing talents.
Costume design and video editing are by Chucky, while story adaptations are by Godhwani – but you’ll find out more about that process in the video interview above.
Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky episodes will become available on November 20 at 5.30PM, and can be purchased online from the ŻiguŻajg official website. They can then be enjoyed at your own leisure from home.
If you’d like to read more arts related pieces, check out this review of a re-imagined Nosferatu as part of the Three Palaces Festival, or this interview with artist Gabriel Buttigieg, or maybe this guest post about chamber music by Albert Storace.
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