Mala’s tragic fate draws Vissi back to the stage
Ten years after the musical play «Demons» (Daimones), the popular Greek pop singer Anna Vissi returns to the theater with «Mala, Music of the Wind,» a performance that again bears the imprint of her closest collaborator Nikos Karvelas, who has written both the play and the music. Vissi spoke of the performance at a recent press conference, appearing without her partner Karvelas, who was busy with orchestra rehearsals. Performances of «Mala» are scheduled to begin at the Pallas Theater tomorrow. «The story of the Polish Jew Mala Zinenbaum is real and relates one of the most terrible moments for humanity in the 20th century. Saturday will be a test for me and I am both anxiously and happily looking forward to passing it; to convince the audience that I am Mala rather than Vissi,» she said. The director of the performance, Yiannis Kakleas, noted that the performance at the Pallas Theater is «an ambitious production that will carve new roads for Greek theatrical productions,» while producer Alexandros Parisis spoke about the enormous cost of the show, stressing that the set – a model of the Auschwitz concentration camp – is better than any other seen in Greece before. The production employs 60 actors, 35 musicians and a 30-strong crew. The music is directed by Giorgos Niarchos, the sets designed by Giorgos Gavalas, the costumes (approximately 500 of them) are by Yiannis Metzikoff and the lighting by Eleftheria Deko. The press conference served purposes other than presenting the show: It became an award-giving ceremony for Vissi and Karvela’s gold CD single of the «Mala» soundtrack, the six-times platinum winner «Cry» (Kravgi), the four-times platinum winner «Too Much Love» (Agapi Ypervoliki) and yet another platinum album, the English-language «Everything I Am.» To round off the occasion, the conference was also used to celebrate the birthday of the director of Sony Recordings.«Mala» opens at the Pallas Theater tomorrow, 1 Voukourestiou & Stadiou, tel 322.4434.
