Alexis Sakellaris is proudly a diva. From start to finish of their autobiographical one-man show A Stan is Born, they strut across the stage, recounting memories of their youth in rural Germany and taking the audience through a roll-call of their favourite pop divas. It is, at points, a joyful show, with Sakellaris’ energy infectious, their genuine adoration of Celine Dion (amongst others) seeping into the auditorium.
Yet too often their memories feel too scripted, relying on a show packed with jokes that sometimes land but are often too niche or don’t quite hit the mark. Sakellaris is clearly a master of crowd work and improv – they jokingly call out a woman on the front row eating crisps, and even welcome me into the space as I come running in five minutes late. It is in these moments when their performance feels most alive and authentic; they invent punchlines on the spot, which land every time. Yet this crowd work is mostly hidden away, with Sakellaris continually returning to a slightly stilted script that is nowhere near as comedic as their off-the-cuff remarks.
Similarly, their songs are highlights, holding many a catchy lyric and allowing Sakellaris to show off their extremely impressive voice, riffing endlessly. The titular A Stan is Born is a particular bop. Yet once again, they are not foregrounded nearly enough. The most moving section of the show comes when Sakellaris sings of their mental pain after being homophobically abused as a child – it’s a genuinely well-written musical theatre ballad, Sakellaris’ voice clearly full of emotion. When we reach this moment, shifting from chaotic comedy to visceral emotion, it becomes clear that this is an undeniably well-structured show. The audience has been consistently reminded of the joy of these divas, so the subsequent pain of that joy being crushed hits hard. It leaves us with the long-lasting message that everyone can, and should, be a diva.
A Stan is Born holds moments of brilliance, and Alexis has an infectious and immediately loveable personality. I may not quite stan over this performance, but it is most certainly an hour of camp, energetic fun.
