A groaning small town apartment. A TV that plays non-stop. Cigarettes and frappes. The folk song of a coffee shop father, the troubled voice of a mother. The rhythmic delirium of a sexist son, the brother-in-law’s aria
The Matchboxbased on the film by Yiannis Economides, is transformed into a musical on the Main Stage of the Roof, from Friday November 11, directed by Yiannis Niarrou.
A groaning small town apartment. A TV that plays non-stop. Cigarettes and frappes. The folk song of a coffee shop father, the troubled voice of a mother. The rhythmic delirium of a sexist son, the brother-in-law’s aria.
The family slaughterhouse, starring Dimitris, the owner of a cafe, does not take long to happen. On a Sunday in August, everything is blown up. The violence picks up the pace, the faces come in and out of the “matchbox” with their songs and melodies. Wife Maria, children, all against all.
The Greek family remains the same, twenty years later, in a multi-element musical extravaganza. How can “Matchbox” be transformed into a musical? Nine musicians, eleven performers and a multitude of other contributors capture the reality of the Greek family and, guided by the original musical work of Yiannis Niarros and Alexandros Livitsanos, present us with a new one.
At a press conference at Stegi about the show, Yiannis Economidis said: “The issue was how to sing the story of ‘Spirtokoutos’. It was certainly a very difficult undertaking. The most important thing is that twenty years ago I created ‘Matchbox’ in conditions of absolute freedom, the same happened now.”
Yannis Niarros remarked: “We didn’t want a performance, but a Greek realistic musical with a poetic dimension. Friends and co-creators together. And dalkas, and sweets, and sexism, through different musical choices.”
Alexandros Livitsanos explained from his side how he worked with Niarros during the quarantine, while Yiannis Anastasakis underlined how from the first meeting there was very good communication and that he hopes the same communication will work with the public.
Agoritsa Oikonomou considers that the performance and her preparation was like a gift that comes once every ten years. Representing Stegi, Afroditi Panagiotatou pointed out: “We will always be proud of the team’s production and building. As for the musical variety, it contains from jazz and capsule songs to polyphonic”.
“Spirtokouto” (Panhellenic Film Critics Association Award, 2003) is the first feature film by Yiannis Economidis (director and screenplay).
The script was shaped during the rehearsals – which lasted over seven months – with the decisive contribution of the actors themselves in its writing (Errikos Litsis, Eleni Kokkidou, Kostas Xykomenos, Yiannis Voulgarakis, Ioanna Ivanoudis, Stavros Giagoulis, Angeliki Papoulia and Serafita Grigoriadou). The film was released twenty years ago in cinemas.
“Spirtokuto” on the Central Stage marks the first directorial work at Stegi, of the actor Yiannis Niarros, who has been honored with the “Dimitris Horn” theater award (2018) for his performance in the play “Stella Koimisou” by Yiannis Oikonomidis, in National Theater.
The first pandemic lockdown found Yiannis Niarros and composer Alexandros Livitsanos attempting to bring the world of “Spirtokoutos” into contact with that of the musical.
The performances on December 3, 21 and 22 will be presented in conditions of universal accessibility, in collaboration with the cultural organization liminal. They will include interpretation in Greek sign language and Greek surtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as audio description for the visually impaired.
Directed by: Yannis Niarros
Scenes: Eva Goulakou
Costumes: Ioanna Tsami
Music Director: Alexandros Livitsanos
Music: Yannis Niarros, Alexandros Livitsanos
Lighting: Nikos Vlasopoulos
Choreography: Iota Kallimanis
Cast: Actors – Performers: Yannis Anastasakis, Agoritsa Oikonomou, Marios Sarantidis, Giorgos Katsis, Apostolis Psychramis, Nancy Sideris, Dafni David, Vassilis Dimakopoulos, Danai Moutsopoulou, Eleni Bouklis, Theodosia Savvaki. The musicians: Sofia Euklidou (cello), Dimitris Klonis (drums), Alexandros Livitsanos (keyboards), Giorgos Bouldis (bass), Spyros Nikas (saxophone), Vassilis Panagiotopoulos (trombone), Yiannis Papadopoulos (piano), Kostas Sapounis (trumpet) , Dimitris Stasinos (guitar).
Duration: 105 minutes (without intermission)
Ticket Prices: Normal 7, 15, 20, 28 euros. Reduced, Friend, Group of 5-9 people 12, 16, 22 euros, Group of 10+ people 11, 14, 20 euros, Neighborhood Resident 7 euros, Unemployed, Disabled 5 euros, Accompanying Disabled 10 euros.
Duration of Performances: From Friday November 11 to Friday December 30.
Screenplay: Yiannis Oikonomidis
Online ticket sales at tickets.onassis.org, Group reservations at [email protected], Handicapped seat reservations: 213 017 8036 & [email protected]
Performances: Every Wednesday to Sunday at 20:30
Assistant Director: Anastasia Stylianides, Isabella Kasimati
Ticket Link: https://tickets.onassis.org/showEventInformation.html?changeLanguageTo=el&idEvent=2005583
Venue Information: 107 Andrea Syggrou Ave., Athens – 2111981784
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