After a sell out nine-show run at The Piano in March 2023, Breaking Plates – The Musical is back.
The brainchild of Costa Keremelidis, who many of us remember from the Christchurch Mykonos and Santorini restaurants, Breaking Plates ensures that the days of Ouzo shots and Greek dancing with strangers in these iconic places is forever preserved.
The show been 12 years in the making and features 23 original songs and new dance routines. The dancing is terrific – the energy and skill in this young ensemble cast deserve special mention.
Choreographer Sandy Grey has coaxed a huge amount from the cast. The tango scene in particular is funny, clever and slick. I clearly watch too much TV as I instinctively reach for the remote to rewind and watch it again.
The story is, according to Costa, a reflection of things that have happened over 18 years; some of his experiences and people he knows and knew – however, he says the characters are all fictional.
There’s a lot in here. Boy meets girl, boy meets boy, man shows lack of understanding about the boys and girls, tries to recreate cultural home in good old Christchurch but also wants everyone to be happy and lead their own lives, grandmother reads coffee cups and tries to keep the peace.
I’m glad there’s a warning about the earthquake effects – the sound and lighting; that sort of thing still affects me to this day, as I am sure it affects many others too.
Some well-timed humour follows the earthquake segments. “That was definitely bigger than a 3.5”, “No I reckon it was a 4, someone check Geonet”. The audience murmurs and chuckles knowingly. Yes, we remember it well.
Not all of the songs do it for me and the strong American accented lyrics are just plain odd. That said, the singing itself is outstanding. Every cast member is strong, and no-one lets the side down. Special mention of Alyssa Parkinson who plays the female lead Agapi, Will Lynch who plays her brother Achilles and David Greensmith, their father Yorgus, all of whom are exceptional.
There’re a few first night jitters – a couple of lighting cues need tightening up, but that’ll come, I am sure. The timing in the first part of the first act is a little uneven and slow, but this will right itself as everyone starts to feel the rhythm.
The cast work well together and the lovely thing is that by the end of the show, we feel like we know them; that we are a part of the big Greek family they have been sharing with us for the last couple of hours.
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