By Nick Christophers
The thundering applause that filled the theatre was a testament to the amazing performance from London actor, Anthony Skordi. Skordi put on a one act play “An Evening with Onassis” that offered us a taste of the legendary visionary Aristotle Onassis. The play was staged at the American Theater of Actors which was appropriate for this type of show. Skordi who was born in London attended the Drama Centre in London to begin his journey into acting. He would become a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Vanessa Redgrave’s Moving Theatre Company.
Eight years ago, while on the set of “Days of Our Lives” a fellow actor commented that he had a striking resemblance to Aristotle Onassis. It just happened that it triggered his desire to do research on the legendary billionaire. In doing so he took it upon himself to draft a one-act play based on Onassis’ life. Since then, he has brought the play to the stage from Athens, Atlanta, LA then to New York. The play was directed by Dikran Tulaine along with assistant director George Zouvelos. The play will run from March 3 to the 20th. Besides being involved with “An Evening with Onasssis” Zouvelos has also written a television series that is rumored to be featuring actors/comedians Basile, Ellen Karis and Angelo Tsarouchas. In addition, he is working on a comedy stage show featuring for the first time all three comedians to be performing at the same venue possibly in an Atlantic City or Connecticut Casino late 2022 or Spring 2023.
“The theme of the play to me is every man’s struggle to reach the top but never to forget the important things in life which is your family,” said George Zouvelos.
Skordi managed to envelope the spirit of a complex man who made a vast fortune but in some way at the expense of his family. Onassis himself left his family behind after fleeing the Turkish pogrom in his native Smyrna for Argentina. He began to slowly build an empire that would shock not only the Greek community but the world. Skordi offers us the nuances of his life and what he had to give or take to get where he was going. He took on multiple characters to flush out the story as Onassis’ grandmother, his Uncle Hari, and the men at the taverna.
Even though both Zouvelos and Skordi reached out to the Onassis Foundation they did not receive any response. But for both men it was of no consequence since they respect their decision and recognize that the foundation has and still helps many people globally. It is with more successful performances that they hope to take the play to another level. For Skordi who wrote the play strongly believed that Onassis’ story needed to be told in this fashion.
“What is really important at the end of the day is what we take with us is the love that other people have for us” – Anthony Skordi
