A new theater production on the life of Aristotle Onassis, called “Onassis, The Play” will be staged off Broadway in early 2022. The one-man show will be performed by veteran Greek actor Anthony Skordi in Greece before it comes over the Pond and is offered to American audiences at New York CIty’s American Theatre of Actors in February.
The Greek shipping magnate who was born in Smyrna and immigrated to Argentina as a young man, working his way up to becoming the world’s richest man, has been fodder for a number of biographers over the years. This iteration of his life was penned by the actor himself.
The play will open in Greece in early winter of next year, with a number of performances in Athens.
“Onassis The Play” latest attempt to understand turbulent life of Greek shipping magnate
The one-man recreation of the shipping magnate’s turbulent, outsized life, full of intrigues and heartaches, will allow theatergoers of a new generation to see the workings of the business mogul’s thoughts as he ruminates on the vicissitudes of his life, from working as a telephone operator in Argentina to becoming the world’s richest entrepreneur.
Marrying the daughter of fellow shipping magnate Stavros Livanos and Jackie Kennedy, the widow of former President John F. Kennedy, Onassis used women the way he did wealth — to acquire power and prestige.
An earlier play about the many dramas in the life of the tycoon, written by Martin Sherman, opened for the first time in 2008.
The new production of Onassis will be directed by Dikran Tulaine, with sound and lighting by George Nicholas. Assistant Director George Zouvelos and Alexandros Ammohostianos as production manager will also be part of the senior crew, according to a report from Broadwayworld.com.
Veteran Greek-British actor Anthony Skordi will embody the role of Aristotle Onassis. Skordi is currently playing Carlo Gambino in “The Offer” for Paramount TV.
Best known for his roles as Admiral Garrick Versio in “Star Wars Battlefront II,” and The Dealer in the “Hand of Fate” series of games, Skordi has risen to prominence for his voiceover work in a series of video games and in the narration of audiobooks.
Skordis’ one-man show to open in Athens, travel to New York City
He has also produced and written a number of works. Born in London to Greek Cypriot parents, he attended the Drama Centre London, and later toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1990-1992 and Vanessa Redgrave’s Moving Theatre.
He is now a citizen of the United States, currently residing in Los Angeles. Some of his early roles include British television series including episodes of “Soldier Soldier,” “The Bill” and “Thief Takers.”
Skordi wrote, produced and starred in the one-man show Onassis, The Play at the Stella Adler theater to favorable reviews, being praised as a “Master of Storytelling”. Originally planned to be staged in New York City in 2020, the theatre production was delayed due to the restrictions put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Skordi had already been providing narration for commercials and audio books, he was introduced to a new audience through voice acting in video games, his first role being God of War III, alongside other notable actors Kevin Sorbo, Gideon Emery, and Rip Torn.
He went on to provide voices for “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,” the “Mass Effect” series, and “Diablo III,” and starred as Valenos, the Dealer, in the “Hand of Fate” series by Defiant Development. In 2017, he had a prominent role in “Star Wars Battlefront II,” both as a voice actor and motion capture actor, as Admiral Garrick Versio.
He had also previously provided motion capture for “Sleeping Dogs.” Since 2015, Skordi has also been narrating the audio drama series “John Sinclair – Demon Hunter.”
His work in television continued in the United States, where he featured in episodes of “Scorpion,” “The Blacklist,” “The Last Ship,” and others. British TV appearance as series regular as Silas Manatos in “Prime Suspect 1973.” In 2019, he appeared as the Caliph of Oran in the miniseries “Catch-22.”
Skordi is also a film actor. A short film portraying the Armenian genocide, “Straw Dolls,” features Skordi in the lead role as Ahmet, a conflicted Turkish soldier. He also acted alongside Kevin Spacey in the short film “Envelope.” Skordi portrayed Father Nicolas in “Don Quixote,” which was featured at the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2015. He also appeared as August in “Stage Mother,” playing opposite Jacki Weaver.
In addition to his work in the US, he has worked in the UK, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Spain and Brazil.
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