The most successful comedy by Dimitra Papadopoulou,
"Grandpa Has High Blood Pressure",
continues
at The «Hellenic Cosmos» Cultural Centre
Premiere on November 30
After the summer's success and the moments of abundant laughter it brought to audiences, the madcap comedy by Dimitra Papadopoulou, directed by Christos Tripodis and produced by Methexis, continues at the Iphigenia Hall of the The «Hellenic Cosmos» Cultural Centre. Starring: Foteini Baxevani, Sylvia Delikoura, Marilou Katsafadou, Stavros Nikolaidis, Aris Antonopoulos, and in the role of Grandpa, Vasilis Kolovos.
A grandpa, three outrageous granddaughters, a "cop," an idealistic young man, a "murder," and a romantic dinner with lentils lead a crazy Greek family into hilarious situations. Three sisters at a crossroads in their lives: the anarchist Popi, who "falls" for a "cop"; the fearful Fofi, who declares her personal revolution and sets new terms and rules for her life; and career-driven Maria, who is determined to finally become a mother, find themselves entangled in uncontrollable misunderstandings. Tying it all together is the leftist and dementia-stricken Grandpa, who becomes the ideological inspiration for founding a new political movement named "Search Yourself." The movement, created by Maria's partner Haris, aims to be the voice of the younger generation of Greeks.
The legendary "Grandpa" by Dimitra Papadopoulou, after its productions in 1997 and 2012, returns with more vigor than ever to bring joy and laughter to our evenings, with more "pressure" than ever before.
Author's Note by Dimitra Papadopoulou:
Globally, comedy is an endangered genre. Everywhere I hear that producers "look for comedy but can't find it"... It's a time when drama, pain, violence, mental illness, and "gore" are overrepresented in entertainment. Why? Because comedy requires magnanimity, which means not taking myself too seriously, which means I understand my insignificance, even the triviality of my problem, and I have the strength to distance myself and laugh at it.
Comedy is now out of reach because it can't compete with drama, which can easily evoke emotions through simple means like death, illness, gore, violent outbursts, and other such "delights." Breaking a head, for example, or gutting someone, with enhanced imagery and a wealth of effects, easily stirs up abundant emotions and thrills, while laughter is a much more complex mechanism to produce and to evoke strong emotions. For all these reasons, and many others that I'll spare for the sake of conversation, comedy remains an endangered species, fit for a museum.
However, I will always fight for this genre because it's the only one my soul truly values.
Grandpa Has High Blood Pressure is my first play, written during a challenging time in my life, but full of love for people. The sure thing is, to create comedy, above all, you have to love people and not want to tarnish them with any of your toxins, and to search from the overflow of your soul to bring joy. And until today, thankfully, many people have laughed with this play. No other feeling do I want to share with you. I hope to always have the strength to let challenges keep me in this alchemical process of comedy. I believe there's no greater gift than this genre. Enjoy from an old era of mine that turned into laughter, and I hope this performance achieves it once again.
