You probably know Mary Coustas best as Effie, the outrageous second-generation Greek Australian who delighted 90s audiences in TV shows like Acropolis Now. But when Coustas next gets on stage, it won’t be as that iconic character. In a run of shows for the Sydney Opera House in late May, the longtime performer will be shedding her Effie armour and doing something far more daunting – speaking about her real life as Mary. The show, fittingly, is called This Is Personal. Finally putting it on is a dream realised for Coustas.
“In the wings of my mind, I’ve had this show that I’ve always wanted to do that I was too afraid to do,” she says. “I’ve always had accents and wigs and characters. Like, how much can I disguise myself while I become somebody else? But I knew there was a point where I would have to just strip all that back and get to the core of me without the bells and the whistles.”
