An old vinyl record of Rebetika music inspired Stephen Helper to find out more on the story behind the Greek blues.
Written entirely in Greek, the album jacket featured a group of men aged between 30 and 70, all with moustaches, posing in a slummy alleyway somewhere in Greece.
The story he discovered was one of a music and philosophy that arose from the struggles of displaced and outcast people in the early 20th century. From this narrative, Helper created Cafe Rebetika, an epic theatre production telling a tale of love set in the slums of 1930s Greece among the rise of Rebetika – the Greek blues.
“Rebetika is the music of the streets, urban music,” Helper said. “It’s about people’s hardship and how they overcome it, it’s the joy of life despite its difficulties and the longing for love.”
Set in Piraeus, the port city near Athens, Cafe Rebetika features cabaret, music, theatre, and dance, all combining to celebrate the gutsy sub-culture of Rebetika music.
Helper, who has numerous Australian and Broadway credits including Fiddler on the Roof and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, said Rebetika came from great tragedy and was created by the disenfranchised.
Helper said audiences would be moved to tears by Cafe Rebetika, but would “walk out on a really big high”.
He strongly believes the story still resonates today. “Rebetika music is a philosophy of life … it’s about how to lead your life and how to get the best out of life,” he said.
Cafe Rebetika is at the Arts Centre from Thursday, November 3, until November 13.
Tickets from $31. Details: theartscentre.com.au
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