Five Greek comedians will take to the stage for this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Steen Raskopoulos, George Zacharopoulos, George Kapiniaris, Mary Coustas and Katerina Vrana will be flying the flag for the Greek community, giving unique performances during the month-long festival starting on March 25.
Greek Australian Steen Raskopoulos returns to the festival with a brand new show called Character Assassin. Raskopoulos has been collecting awards left, right and centre, most recently for his shows in the UK. He was nominated for two Chortle Awards and was recognised as one of the best newcomers at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
His sellout show I’m Wearing Two Suits Because I Mean Business combined improvisation and audience participation in a completely unique comedy show experience.
Mary Coustas returns to perform A Date with Effie at the Yarraville Club, adding more to the story of Australia’s favourite obnoxious Greek girl. She will perform only two shows on Friday 17 April and Saturday 18 April.
After wowing audiences in Melbourne two years running with her show Feta with the Queen, UK comic Katerina Vrana will be premiering her second show About Sex at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show is based on the fear that we aren’t having sex right, thanks to the mixed messages we get from the media. Named as one of CNN’s 13 Funny Female Comedians to Watch, her new show will give Greek Australians a chance to see another side of Katerina. She will perform 22 shows from March 25.
Audiences who attend George Zacharopoulos’ shows this year will be treated to A Greek Tragedy; a stand up comedy which follows Zacharopoulos’ early life as he grows up in Greece and moves to England, whilst dodging his mandatory national service with the Greek army. Zacharopoulos comes to the festival as an international act and will perform 22 shows between the festival dates at Red Violin.
Long time Greek Australian comedian George Kapiniaris will also take to the stage at this year’s versatile festival, in a show entitled San Memo Festival alongside Italian comedian, Gabriel Rossi. San Memo Festival is a musical comedy show doused with European spirit, which showcases two hours of the funniest song parodies, which strongly correlate to their Greek and Italian heritage. Kapiniaris will perform three shows on March 29, April 5 and 12.
Greek Australians familiar with the Wogs vs Aussies youtube videos will be able to see Superwog live for three nights on March 27, 28, 29, performing Talk S**t Get Hit. Amassing more than 62 million YouTube views and more than 400,000 subscribers online, the Superwog team have a huge following in the Greek community for drawing huge similarities to ethnic life in Australia.
The Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria’s building will also host a number of comedy festival events, with the festival utilising the Greek Centre for 14 shows. Even the Melbourne Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, in his official welcome for the Comedy Festival, said “more city spaces than every before will be converted into comedy stages with laughs filling more than 100 venues, including the new festival hub at the Greek Cultural Centre in Lonsdale Street”.
For more information of the festival and to buy tickets for the shows visit www.comedyfestival.com.au