Wedding Bells In The City: Il-Qarċilla Is Back
When we think of carnival the first things that come to mind are bright costumes, floats and street parties. While this is definitely a major part of modern day festivities, carnival is traditionally an event that uses satire and dark comedy to tackle social issues.
Il-Qarċilla is a traditional street theatre which takes on the form of a satirical play, and it is also one of the first Maltese theatrical literary texts to ever exist dating back to 1760.
A certain Don Feliċ Demarco wrote the first Qarċilla, with the purpose of creating a kickback against the social structures and exclusive-only parade celebrations by the Knights in their auberges and remained a part of carnival celebrations in Valletta up until 100 years ago.
Il-Qarċilla is a poetic farce that always follows the same structure. The plot centres around a wedding with characters and archetypes such as a bride, groom and a notary. The characters recite verses filled with innuendos, taboos and puns.
Other than just comedic entertainment, it aims to unearth local contemporary references to dissolve boundaries from hierarchical power, social injustices as well as current affairs.The objective is to tease, and to definitely have a laugh, but also to point blank discuss what’s going on in a figurative manner.
So how did we end up having another Qarċilla in 2023? The revival of Qarċilla occurred in 2014, written by Maltese author Trevor Zahra, produced and directed by Joseph Galea.
This iteration was done after the launch of Conrad Fenech’s book on the Qarċilla, forming part of his theses in 2013, under the supervision of Dr. Olvin Vella. Fenech spoke about the initial Qrieċel iterations, identifying them as uniquely Maltese cultural phenomenons.
After this successful revival, it only felt natural to bring this tradition back on its feet every year.
Did you know?
The Qarċilla has had four authors throughout the years? They were none other than the famous Trevor Zahra, Emmanuel Mifsud and Leeanne Ellul. Since 2021 the Qarċilla has been written by Malta’s anti-hero and alter-ego of Alex Vella Gregory – Ċikku L-Poplu.
What can we expect?
The synopsis revolves around a 70-year old woman Warda Kanta who didn’t lack for material things but had no sight of real love. However, the stars aligned and she met the love of her life, Alberto from Argentina. Her previous lovers, Joey ‘Elvis’ Sultana and Danny ‘t-Thriller’ Bonnici, Rev and Rokku Bugatti, were invited to attend the special day.
Everybody gathered in excitement for this grand event, including minister Kurt Micallef and notary Francis de BonBon but the groom is missing!
So what will poor Warda Kanta do? Come and find out!
Il-Qarċilla is happening on the 16th and 17th of February at Spazju Kreattiv. Tickets for this interpretation can be bought from www.kreattivita.org.
Can’t make it on these days? Fret not! You can still attend your favourite wedding on February 18th and 19th as it will be performed every hour from 3pm until 7pm for free in St. John’s Square, Valletta.
To check out the full programme for this year’s Carnival celebrations visit www.festivals.mt/karnival.
Tag someone who loves a laugh