Marika’s dream: If she loves me even a dream

On Friday, February 2 at 8:30 p.m. at the Apollo theater, the Hermoupoli Syros Asia Minor Association is hosting the theatrical performance Marika’s dream: If she loves me even a dream, honoring the 160 years since the iconic Apollo theater has been in operation.

Fenia Papadodima sheds light on America’s greatest Greek voice of the early 20th century, Marika Papagika, and writes “Marika’s dream”.A stormy monologue that narrates the adventurous life of the great singer, the dreams, the difficulties, the racism experienced by all the immigrants of that time in New York. Fenia Papadodima connects the life of Marika Papagika with the life of another iconic singer, Billie Holiday who begins her career in Harlem in 1929, when Marika was still hanging out in Manhattan singing in her own club, the famous “Marika’s”.

Marika Papagika and Billie Holiday have one thing in common. A voice that heals souls. Because the blues has no country.
Fenia Papadodima performs live the best-known Smyrna and Rebetika songs of Marika Papagika and some of Billie Holiday’s most iconic songs, skilfully sliding from jazz ballads to amanades.
She is accompanied by three top musicians: Panos Vergos on the santouri, Giorgos Palamiotis on the bass and Giorgos Mikros on the piano meander with devilish improvisational brio from the traditional Smyrna songs to “Well, You Needn’t” by Thelonious Monk.
To write the text, Fenia Papadodima draws material from the stories of Giorgos Katsaros recorded in the archive of Panagiotis Kounadis, from Billie Holiday’s autobiography and from the theatrical novella she wrote herself “A Cat Called Billie Holiday” , Gavrielides publications 2013.