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Costa Kerdemelidis has written a musical about his time running Santorinis Greek restaurant in Christchurch.
The former owner of Christchurch party restaurant Santorini has written a musical inspired by his Greek family and losing his business to the earthquakes.
Costa Kerdemelidis ran the Greek restaurant, where people often danced on barrels and smashed plates, from 1993 until it was closed by the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
Kerdemelidis would often play bouzouki in the restaurant to entertain his patrons.
“It is quite strange because we had the restaurant and I felt like I would always be there playing music until I died,” he said.
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“Then the earthquake struck and the restaurant went down. I didn’t have the will to start again at that stage.”
Instead, he has spent the last 12 years developing and writing the musical Breaking Plates, which opens at The Piano in Christchurch on Friday and runs until March 11.
He had played music since he was a child, but never attempted anything as ambitious as a musical before. He started by looking online for advice.
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Santorinis was known as a party restaurant, where people would dance atop barrels and drink ouzo.
“On one site it said: ‘If you are thinking about writing a musical – Don’t. It is the hardest thing to write’.
“But I thought, there are so many things that happened in that restaurant and I met so many people and felt there was a story to write.
“I wanted to write songs and tell the story, so I thought I would write a musical.”
ALDEN WILLIAMS/Stuff
Kerdemelidis played bouzouki at his Christchurch restaurant almost every night to entertain patrons.
He has worked with opera singer and director Ravil Atlas over the last six years to develop the musical.
Breaking Plates is about a Greek family who move to New Zealand and open a restaurant in Christchurch.
The father of the family, Yorgo, struggles to impose his traditions and beliefs on his New Zealand born children. When the earthquake comes, his beliefs are put to the test.
Google Maps
Santorini restaurant was on Gloucester St near Cambridge Terrace in central Christchurch. (Screenshot from August 2008)
Kerdemelidis was brought to New Zealand by his family in 1951 when he was a 1-year-old. He opened a Greek restaurant called Mykonos on Lichfield St in 1979, then Santorini in 1993.
He is now 73 years old and considers the new musical to be a highlight of his life.
“It is just one of the most exciting things that has happened in my whole life.”
