Little Lark of London

“If you can’t stan yourself, how the hell are you gonna stan someone else?”

A Stan Is Born, written and performed by Alexis Sakellaris, is a musical comedy detailing Sakellaris’s move from New York City to rural Germany, where he finds his only salvation in pop divas. The show, described as “a love letter to all the divas and the gays who stan them,” has ten original songs, with Sakellaris accompanying himself on keyboard. T-shirts hang from the wall behind Sakellaris, all from different divas including Janelle Monáe, Britney Spears, Doja Cat and Lady Gaga.

And for those unfamiliar with the concept of being a “stan,” fear not – Sakellaris has come prepared, and not just because he’s wearing a shirt with the definition of the word on it! If you did not already know, you may be surprised to learn that it comes from Eminem’s song from 2000, “Stan.” Sakellaris tells us the story of the fictional character of Stan, whose obsession with his idol leads to him being pushed over the edge. In his own words, “Stan is sorta an icon . . . It’s kinda weird!”

It is when he is eight years old that Sakellaris  connects with his first diva, Celine Dion, a moment he describes through a song with lyrics including, “A stan is born / I just discovered something better than porn.” Even though his family warns him to not get too deep into this obsession, saying “It isn’t healthy to love something more than you love yourself,” Sakellaris fully dedicates his life to worshipping the divas. It’s not just celebrity divas that Sakellaris idolises – he speaks of his mother as a diva, worshipping her just as much as those he listens to on the radio. 

There were several times in which I found myself comparing Sakellaris’s vocals to those of Broadway actor Ben Fankhauser, with the two both having a delightful tendency to riff and show off their vocal talents. He is an incredibly talented vocalist and pianist, performing a range of songs with an ease that makes it appear to be effortless. Several of the songs reminded me of contemporary musical theatre works like Everybody’s Talking About Jamie with pop-like chords and wide-ranging vocals. Sakellaris also has a great sense of timing, particularly with the “or do they . . .” bits that come up throughout the show, in which he says something but implies that it may not be entirely true/ 

But we do not only focus on the joyfulness that comes with stan culture and the divas that are idolised. Sakellaris brings up the fact that, even though they are worshipped by stans, divas are still human and can be quite problematic. And as we, unfortunately, come to expect in stories of coming out and queerness, Sakellaris’s journey is one that has challenges, especially as someone growing up gay in rural Germany. His father has him confronting his feelings before he is ready and his mother has her reservations based on her own upbringing, regardless of how much she enjoys watching Desperate Housewives with her son. 

There are several moments throughout the show where Sakellaris simply has a conversation with the audience, going off on tangents and declaring, “Let’s just chat!” I’m unsure if this is meant to be a part of the show but it is a lovely way to get to see more of Sakellaris’s personality outside of the songs and stories of the main storyline. 

The ending of the show is quite powerful and has an inspirational song that has the audience dancing along in their seats, cheering Sakellaris on as he transforms from a stan to, in his own words, a “little gay diva twink.” Ultimately, A Stan Is Born is a fantastic hour of musical comedy that does a fascinating deep dive into the world of stan culture through the eyes of Sakellaris himself.  Sakellaris asks, “Who do you stan in your life?” I can see many stanning him in the future!

A Stan Is Born ran at the Camden People’s Theatre from 26 to 28 September. More information can be found here.

Photo Credit: Lucy Plumb