Retirees fill Athens theater for free 1980s show

More than 100 senior citizens performed in a sold-out show at the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre in central Athens on Oct. 23. The free event featured two 90-minute performances combining music, dance, and personal narratives from the 1980s. The production, titled “My Incurable Love: A Date with History,” marked the culmination of a year-long artistic initiative led by the Greek National Opera.

The program began in 2018 with a class teaching a simplified method for playing the guitar. Weekly sessions on the opera’s alternative stage attracted a growing group of older adults who learned to play instruments and sing. What started as informal practice evolved into end-of-season recitals, eventually scaling up to the major production presented last month.

Kiki Kerzeli, the conductor for the show, addressed common stereotypes about aging. She told The Associated Press that society often assumes people stop learning as they get older. Kerzeli argued that this view is incorrect. She observed that the participants had a strong desire for education in addition to entertainment. This drive for learning was a central theme of the rehearsals.

Sandra Paleologou, 82, was among the oldest performers in the cast. She worked for many years as a senior executive at a multinational pharmaceutical company. Paleologou said that job prevented her from pursuing her interests in music, dance, reading, and painting. She described her retirement as a rebirth, noting that she finally began doing things she liked rather than things she had to do. Paleologou stated that art has absolutely no age.

During the performance, Paleologou wore a blue-sequined dress and shared a personal story. She recalled attempting to dance at a nightclub while eight months pregnant. A staff member asked her to leave the floor because they did not want to deliver a baby there. She left the stage to laughter and applause before dancing back to her seat. The audience included relatives and friends who attended the free shows.

Themis Kotsifakis, a 68-year-old retired teacher and trade unionist, also took the stage. He has continued to advocate for pensioner rights. Kotsifakis delivered a monologue about his participation in union demonstrations. He asked his fellow cast members why they remembered the 1980s. One woman replied that it was the decade she gave birth to her children. Another said the era defined their time watching the television show “Dynasty.”

The rehearsal process involved detailed physical work. On the eve of the premiere, the director corrected performers' positions on stage. A choreographer moved through the dancers to adjust their steps. The group worked for months to prepare the specific choreography and musical arrangements for the final show.

The 1980s represented a period of mixed emotions in Greek history, characterized by both high hopes and deep disappointments. The performers used their own experiences to shape the narrative of the show. Kotsifakis summarized the group's sentiment by saying they were still here, alive, and active.