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 Onasssis” 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 and of Greek origin, 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 20 th.
“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
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. 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. Skordi not only captured the spirit of Onassis but brought the transfixed audience into the play by interacting with them with questions and even comedy.
His powerful monologue was a fusion of pure emotion and energy. If you did not know any better you would think that Onassis himself was on the stage. It was also amazing how in 90 minutes he gave the audience the exciting, sexual and tragic story of Onassis without skipping a beat. They hope with more successful performances 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. There could not have been a better individual to capture the true essence of Onassis in this captivating one-act play than Anthony Skordi. https://americantheatreofactors.org/?tribe_events=an-evening-with-onassis
