By Marianna Alepidis
Greek Canadian comedian Angelo Tsarouchas is like that cousin who comes and visits from overseas, catching you up on all the stories and gossip you haven’t heard since the last time he visited.
Making an appearance across Australia from May, Tsarouchas is coming back with new laughs and musings in his latest show Skits and Wits.
“A lot has happened for everybody in the last few years. Customer service sucks. We either had to distance or live with our families for two years. We didn’t know how crazy they were and then had to spend every day with them,” Tsarouchas told The Greek Herald.
“There’s all these stories I’m going to bring. People love the traditional stuff I’ve done but I thought of Skits and Wits, because this is more of a briam of comedy… I always make it go to food.”
As a comedian, Tsarouchas is just as much of a ‘comical anthropologist’ as he is an entertainer. The world has changed around him from when he first performed to now. Social media has irrevocably reshaped the way we interact with the world and people around us… for better or worse.
“My job as a comedian is to observe and report. I’m going to talk about social media and how people create their own universe in the comment section of a post. I made a video about how Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday, falls on the same day as Greek Christian Orthodox Easter,” Tsarouchas recalled laughing.
“I said we’re going to have a burrito at Taco Bell. We’ll call it the ‘Cinco de Mayo Christos Anesti’ burrito filled with carnitas, spinach, feta and tzatziki. People thought it was a real thing. It sounds good. Then I got a call from a rep from Taco Bell asking ‘Is this a regional thing?’. I said, it’s a joke.”
Whilst the video garnered interest for a Greek Mexican hybrid holiday feast, the comment section began brewing its own material to inspire Tsarouchas.
“One lady said to me, ‘Well, we’re Serbian, and we’re offended that you call that Greek Easter.’ I had said Greek Christian Orthodox Easter, insert your nationality anywhere you want. Then somebody else jumps in saying ‘Well, he’s Greek, so he would say Greek, but he did say Christian Orthodox.’ To me that’s funny,” the comedian explained.
“This guy in Chicago said to me the difference with me as a comic, is that I’m the same guy on and off the stage. My persona is me, so when I say something, people take it to heart. That’s what makes it funny.”
Aside from pulling inspiration from the online microcosm under his videos, Tsarouchas has also pulled content creator Arianna Papalexopoulos out from the screen and onto the stage.
“About 10 years ago, this young girl came up to me and said, ‘I’m a big fan of yours, I made this video.’ I said send it to me. I liked what Arianna created and I posted it on my stories. I realise now there’s a new generation of comedy influencers. I really liked this girl. What I liked about her is her hustle. She reminds me of me in a sense that she’s making videos all the time and she’s funny,” Tsarouchas said.
“We’ve done a couple of videos together now. She’s armed and dangerous and she’s ready to go. She really hadn’t done stand up but she put together 15 minutes and killed it as my opener. She’s going to be a star.”
Whilst performing with a well-seasoned comic has undoubtedly opened Papalexopoulos up to a wealth of knowledge, the comedic content creator has also taught Tsarouchas a thing or two.
“In the meantime, we’re still making videos, because that’s what she’s into. She’s learning from me doing the stand up but to be honest I’m also learning a bit from her also, because she’s really good at TikTok and Instagram, and she’s really built herself a really nice following,” he said.
No matter where he goes on tour, on home soil or thousands of miles away, one thing won’t ever change – the Greek diaspora. Sometimes all you want is to feel at home when you’re on the road so often.
“Even if they meet you for the first time, it’s strange how they talk to you like they’ve known you your whole life, especially the elders. I think it’s just hilarious. One older Greek woman said to me after a show, ‘Oh tomorrow I’m making soutzoukakia,’ I said, ‘great I’ll be there.’ She says, ‘will you really?’ I said ‘of course!’ I want home cooking sometimes. The woman gave me her address and her daughter says, ‘I can’t believe you gave this man your address.’ ‘He’s coming to eat,’ her mother said,” Tsarouchas explained.
“I went to the house and her family was looking at me like ‘what the hell are you doing here?’ I came to eat. A Greek mother’s instinct is always correct. And so I went there, and we ate together. We sat down watching Antenna from Greece. She made me Greek coffee, brought out koulouria and I hung around for a couple of hours.”
Don’t be surprised if you find Tsarouchas eating with your parents on a random weeknight, his greatest weakness is traditional Greek food.
“I miss my mum, I want a home cooked meal. I don’t want to eat at a restaurant! Soutzoukakia, a salad, fresh bread, of course I’m coming,” he said.
Angelo Tsarouchas will be performing across Australian cities in May. Get your tickets at www.tsarouchas.com.
