The Effie-vescent Mary Coustas

Legendary Australian actress and comedy icon, Mary Coustas has embarked on a deeply personal and emotional journey with her latest project, This Is Personal. This captivating theatre production draws inspiration from her autobiography, “All I Know: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Life,” as Coustas delves into the intricacies of her life, exploring the universal themes of love, loss, resilience, and self-discovery.

“It’s more than an extension of my autobiography. It’s got very physical elements. There’s a lot of physical comedy in it. There’s a lot of profound moments; a lot of deeply dramatic moments. A lot of funny characters that I slip in-and-out of that establish the world that I came from, and then the one I went into as an actress. Ultimately, it’s about love; about who we are and where we belong, and who we leave behind, and what we inherit along the way”.

This Is Personal delves into universal themes that transcend Coustas’ personal story. The production addresses the complexities of familial relationships, the pursuit of dreams, the pain of loss, and the strength found in resilience. Coustas candidly shared that, while the production is deeply personal, it’s equal parts comedy.

“I want the audience to laugh and cry and laugh, in any particular order; but just swing from one emotion to the other; so it’s as funny as it is dramatic. I premiered at the Opera House; it’s been fantastically reviewed and the audiences have loved it. It’s very uplifting in many ways”.

This Is Personal is Coustas’ piece de resistance. An innovative blend of humour, vulnerability, and raw emotion; capturing the essence of her life’s most poignant moments.

“I’ve been doing this for too long to not deliver something that’s worth it. I take comedy very seriously. I want it to be the best it can be. I have enough people around me to challenge the material, and me, to deliver the best I can”.

Mary’s advice to aspiring creatives, “Ask yourself why you’re doing it. If it’s to be noticed, there may be a better shortcut through social media or something like that. If it’s to tell truths and to wrap them up in great storytelling; if it’s to impact on human beings and to transfer whatever talent you have, and you wrap it up in something and you give it over to the public; then you need to be prepared to scale up as much as possible. And you need to work really really hard to make it the best that it can be”.

Lastly, Coustas assures us that her signature character, Effie, of Acropolis Now fame, is “Ever-green. I’ve done my best work in the last 10 years. The most daring, bold, well-written, and well-executed stuff; Effie will never die as far as I’m concerned”.  Coustas concedes This Is Perfect is the perfect counterbalance to her satirical Effie character, and the two will co-exist long into Australia’s future.

June 13 – 17

The Concourse, 409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood

www.theconcourse.com.au