Afroditi Laoutari (Greek: Αφροδίτη Λαουτάρη, 1893–1975)[1] was a famous Greek singer and actress in musical theatre.[2]

Afroditi Laoutari
Born1893 (1893)
Patras, Greece
Died1975 (aged 8182)
Athens, Greece
OccupationsSinger, actress

Biography

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She was born in Patras in 1893. At an early age, she became involved with the musical theatre of Ioannis Papaioannou (singer) [el], a leading operatic producer, where it didn't take long for her voice and stage talents to be appreciated, though she was self-taught. By 1915, she was already performing lead roles with the company. From that date through the 1920s, she performed roles in many works of musical theatre, both foreign and especially, Greek operettas. She was a muse to composer and conductor Theophrastos Sakellaridis.[3] By the early 1930s, she had retired from the theatre. She then became one of, if not the, first Greek radio announcers on Athens Radio Station (RCA) in 1938, where she was a dominating force.[4] She continued to broadcast after the end of World War II for another decade. Sofia Vembo has been said to resemble Afroditi Laoutari at the height of her fame. She died in 1975.

Stage performances

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YearTitle of work (English)Title of work (Greek)ComposerLyricistTheatreBest-known songs
1918The Godson or
The Baptismal
Ο ΒαφτιστικόςTheophrastos SakellaridisPapaioannou Theatre
1921Sweet NanaΓλυκειά ΝανάTh. SakellaridisTh. SakellaridisSweet Nana; Nana - George [5]
1922Piff-PaffΠιφ-ΠαφTh. SakellaridisTh. SakellaridisPan-Hellenic TheatreI'm happy; That was all[5]
1922For her husband's sakeΓιά ν'αρέση στον άντρα τηςTh. SakellaridisCharalambos Anninos [el]
Nikos Laskaris
Pan-Hellenic TheatreMarquis & Duke; You, the married people; Edith - Kings [5]
1923Diabolical childΔιαβολόπαιδοTh. SakellaridisAurelia; I want it first [5]
1923Miss SorolopΔεσποινίς ΣορολόπTh. SakellaridisAlhambra Theatre
1930Jim ... my dearΤζίμ... Χρυσό μουAthenian Theatre
1931Karambola 1931Καραμπόλα του 1931Panos Glykofrydis [el]Kostas KioussisEden TheatreVenetian Tango [5]

Filmography

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  • Shattered Dreams (Γκρεμισμένα όνειρα) (1949)[6]

Legacy

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Laoutari has been portrayed on stage in the operetta Remember Those Years (Θυμήσου εκείνα τα χρόνια) (2008), composed by musicologist Lambros Liavas as a tribute to Theophrastos Sakellaridis.[3]

References

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  1. Seiragakis, Manolis. "Η ελληνική οπερέττα, ένα αχαρτογράφητο είδος: Greek Operetta, an unknown genre". Academia (in Greek). University of Crete. p. 7.
  2. Xepapadakou, Avra (2019). "Operetta in Greece". In Belina, Anastasia; Scott, Derek B. (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Operetta. Cambridge University Press. p. 182. ISBN 9781107182165. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 Rigopoulos, Dimitris (4 March 2008). "Operetta journey to heart of Athenian Belle Epoque". Kathimerini. Athens, Greece. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. "Η έμπνευση της ημέρας (Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Ραδιοφώνου) (The inspiration of the day: World Radio Day)". Empneusi 107 FM (in Greek). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mavraganis, Panos (2007). "Λαουτάρη Αφροδίτη (Laoudari Aphrodite)". Παλιά Ελληνικά Τραγούδια Οπερέτες (Old Greek Operetta Songs) (in Greek). Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. Tzavalas, Trifon (2012). Greek Cinema Volume 2. Feature Films Index 1900-2000 (PDF). Hellenic University Club of Southern California. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-938385-12-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
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