In her debut cabaret show, the Helpmann Award-nominated and internationally acclaimed 'Exposing Edith', versatile Adelaide songstress Michaela Burger drew upon the life of her artistic idol, the French “little sparrow”, Edith Piaf.
For her follow-up, 'A Migrant’s Son', which successfully made its debut at last year’s Adelaide Cabaret Festival and returns for this year’s Fringe, Michaela relates the tale of someone even dearer to her than Edith; her father, who is the son of Greek migrants.
Michaela shares with us her five favourite Australian performers of Greek or Italian heritage.
One
Elena Carapetis. Elena has just written a stunning play, 'The Gods Of Strangers', inspired by the oral histories of Greek, Cypriot and Italian migrants to regional South Australia. I got to see the opening night performance in Adelaide and was blown away by its raw honesty and hilarity! I had many shivers during the show as the characters sparked memories of my own relations and the strong bond that we hold. Elena is not only a playwright, but an incredibly talented actress/singer and creator. Elena is the daughter of Greek migrants.Two
Paul Capsis. Performer extraordinaire Paul Capsis has made his mark in performances in 'Head On', 'Boulevard Delirium', 'Rumpelstiltskin' and 'Angela's Kitchen'. His appearances are always memorable – as he takes on his characters right to his core and refuses to hold back a hair on his body from delving into the myriad of human emotions. Paul's family migrated from Malta and from Peloponnesus and Volos via Egypt.Three
Rosalba Clemente. Writer, director and actress – my first memory of Rosalba was as a teenager, attending a State Theatre of South Australia show with my school. I was blown away by her performance which inspired me to follow the path of acting. She was so passionate, vulnerable and open on stage. Rosalba is the child of Italian migrants.Four
Mary Coustas. Mary is best known for her character Effie! My sisters and cousins and I grew up with 'Effie' and went crazy when we found out that Mary was performing her new show 'Effie The Virgin Bride' at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival last year. We booked 12 tickets (for the immediate family only) and had the most amazing night out. My cheeks and ribs were in pain from laughing so much, non-stop, for the entire show. A true inspiration. Mary is the child of Greek migrants.Five
Chantal Contouri. I have to mention Chantal, even though she's not the child of migrants – but an actual migrant – she is the first Greek migrant to have ever pursued a career in acting in Australia and to have won a Logie award for one of her performances.'A Migrant’s Son' plays the Burnside Ballroom from 22-24 February.
