Sofia Moutidou is coming to town

For ten years a stand-up comedian has questioned even the smallest aspects of life. PAUL LAMBIS meets a woman bringing the highlights of her career to the Cyprus stage

Skilled stand-up comics appear naturally funny, seemingly rolling jokes off the tongue with very little effort. “Do not delude yourself. This is a craft, like making anything seem desirable,” said master of the art Sofia Moutidou.

A well-known actress often seen by Greek and Cypriot television audiences, she has a large following on social media where many of her rants have gone viral.

But now her fans are in for a treat, as the actress, presenter, YouTuber and stand-up comedian returns to Cyprus’ comedy stage for another series of shows, at Nicosia’s DownTown Live and Limassol’s Sto Perama this coming week. Her show includes the best monologues and hottest moments from her previous performances, which have made thousands of people laugh in Greece, Cyprus, and throughout the Hellenic diaspora.

Sofia became well-known to the public through the TV series Erieta Zaimi’s Stables and The Café of Joy, and she is well-liked both on the internet, where she frequently shares videos with her fans, and in the theatre, where she has performed in many successful theatrical productions.

She was born in Germany on April 18, 1972, and moved to Thessaloniki with her parents when she was six years old. Despite attending the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki after graduating from high school, she had her sights set on becoming an actress and pursued a career in drama after qualifying as a lawyer.

In 1999, she made her television debut as a guest star in an episode of the MEGA sitcom Friends Again. A few years later, Sofia’s impressive television, film, and stage performances established her as one of the country’s most talented comedians, making her a household name in Greece and Cyprus, and to millions of Greeks fans across the globe.

Sofia also maintains a popular YouTube channel where she regularly posts videos, mostly humorous. “The videos I upload receive a lot of positive feedback,” she said. “My friends encouraged me to upload my videos to YouTube so that the entire global Greek community could see and appreciate my work.

“I started by uploading some short videos on Facebook and because they got a response, I created the channel. It’s much more comfortable and there’s no censorship on YouTube,” she added.

According to Sofia, humour is an important and fundamental component of daily life, and transfers to her comedy routines. “The premise is the foundation. You start chipping away, shaping thoughts, removing words, and replacing them with better words. It’s your job as a comedian to reveal it,” she explained.

Sofia also believes that humour should be used to distract us from the difficulties and problems of everyday life. She enjoys both drama and comedy, but as she says, “the actor is labelled as a comedian or a dramatist. I have been characterised as a comedian, but I also enjoy drama.”

On a more serious note, Sofia has begun psychotherapy courses with the goal of becoming a mental health counsellor, as it is something she has always enjoyed.

“I studied law, graduated with a degree, and practiced, but it wasn’t for me,” Sofia told the Cyprus Mail. “Now I’m going to attend a psychology seminar, which I have always wanted to do, and hopefully deal with this professionally at some point.”

However, Sofia is currently engrossed in her comedy routine, and her new show, 10 years of Sofia (Wisdom) – a play on words because her name means ‘wisdom’ in Greek – features plenty of satire and laughter, the best monologues, and the hottest moments from ten years of stand-up comedy.

Throughout her performance, Sofia sheds light on why Greek men do not want to be Swedes but want Swedish women, and she analyses a wide range of topics ranging from birth to death and “the whole lot in between. Everything is under my microscope,” she said, as she attempts to uncover the truth for most things in life – including her own existence – at the same time persuading the audience to see and understand things “Sofia’s way.”

10 Years of Sofia will be staged at Sto Perama on Friday and at Downtown Live on Saturday. For more information visit www.soldoutticketbox.com