Categories: london-life
Date: 07 December 2007 09:27:46
When we first came to our area there was a Greek restaurant called the Four Lanterns which had a sign outside advertising 'Greek-fun downstairs' (yes, the hyphen was there). We often wondered what Greek-fun was - I rather thought it might be fun with a Greek.
Anyway, last night I think we finally found out. We went to a local theatre (the kind of place that puts on tribute bands, forgotten 60s groups who are all now in their 60s, a panto at Christmas etc). The act was a comedy/music duo called Martha and Eve, formerly known in their prime, in the late 80s, as Donna and Kebab. They did a mix of send-ups, jokes, big ballads, blues, etc which was all entertaining though not quite what we had expected - we were hoping for more jokes about Greek mothers and Wood Green Shopping City (on the former subject, they did do a great spoof of a well known Paul Simon song as '50 ways to leave your mother':-)).
It was all pretty Greek with several songs in Greek, in-jokes about BBCs (British-born Cypriots), Good Greek Girls etc, and plate-smashing at the end, along with party poppers for all the audience to pull in unison and make a wish. We were in a definite minority in the audience as non-Greeks. In the Ladies I witnessed the cultural phenomenon of two young Greek women realizing they had known each other at school, and launching into 'Who was that girl who used to...? Was it Andrulla? Or Stavrulla?). This was definitely Greek-fun.
No, I'm not telling you what my wish was. But it was a serious wish - in fact I think you could call it a prayer.