Interview: Alexis Sakellaris brings A STAN IS BORN! to London

“Two words: culture clash!”

Alexis Sakellaris doesn’t hesitate when asked about the catalyst for his new show, A STAN IS BORN!. The comedy was born of a childhood upheaval that would test the resolve of even the most stoic diva.

Picture a young boy transplanted from the neon hyper-saturation of New York City to the pastoral silence of Gaienhofen, a tiny town in rural Germany. It’s a transition jarring enough to induce whiplash, but for a queer kid obsessed with pop royalty, it was nothing short of a theatrical event.

“The German stereotype is well-known, a very reserved, blunt, dry-humored people,” Sakellaris explains. “While I’m generally not for stereotyping, I can say first-hand… that one exists for a reason (love y’all!).”

This January, Sakellaris brings that friction to the London stage, first at The Other Palace Studio and later at Seven Dials Playhouse. It promises to be a musical comedy exploration of displacement, identity, and the saving grace of Céline, Whitney, and Mariah.

From The Big Apple to The Black Forest

A STAN IS BORN! charts the artist’s drastic move at the tender age of eight. It wasn’t just a change of scenery; it was a collision of sensibilities.

“I was transitioning from a bustling urban metropolis to a very rural town, along with joining a new school and learning a new language,” he recalls. The result was a profound isolation. “All this made me very shy. I didn’t have the same cultural touch points to connect with other kids over, so whenever I would throw out something pop cultural, it would rarely land.”

“The German stereotype is well-known, a very reserved, blunt, dry-humored people,” Sakellaris explains. “While I’m generally not for stereotyping, I can say first-hand… that one exists for a reason (love y’all!).”

Alexis Sakellaris

In the absence of a shared language with his peers, Sakellaris turned to a lexicon he knew fluently: the high-camp melodrama of the American pop diva. However, this proved to be a double-edged sword in a conservative environment.

“On the one hand, becoming obsessed with pop divas allowed me to discover my love of singing and performing,” he says. “On the other hand, being obsessed with women was somehow (counter-intuitively, if you ask me…) perceived as gay! It was a very clear marker for queerness, way before sexual awakening came into play.”

The strategy for integration was, admittedly, bold. “Riffing in their faces probably wasn’t the best way to connect with the soccer-obsessed German schoolboys… Oh well!”

Yet, the wilderness was not entirely without guides. Amidst the soccer fanatics, Sakellaris found a lifeline in the form of a mentor who matched his energy.

“It led me to my flamboyant choir director Siegfried Schmidgall (he features in the show, along with his German accent!) who immediately platformed me in church,” Sakellaris notes with evident affection. “I also found my people in the local theatre group.”

Game, it seems, recognises game—even in the Black Forest.

Defining The Modern Stan

The title of the show leans on a term that has mutated significantly since its inception. Originally coined by Eminem to describe a murderous, stalker-fan, “Stan” has been reclaimed by the internet as a badge of honour. Sakellaris is aware of the dark roots but insists on a distinction between toxicity and devotion.

“The term does come from an Eminem song about a (fictional!) murderous stalker-fan, but that’s a cautionary tale and should be treated as such!” he insists.

For Sakellaris, the obsession is about enrichment rather than erasure. “I’ve maintained a healthy (if somewhat unhinged) level of obsession where I memorize Wikipedia facts, go to concerts, buy merch, etc. I’m NOT marching into Twitter stan wars, where obsessions can veer into something uglier (Barbz, don’t come for me…).”

The show, therefore, acts not as a critique of fandom but a celebration of its utility. “Shared interests also help you find meaningful community, develop new skills, discover new passions,” he notes. “That’s so important, especially for queer people finding their chosen family.”

The Art of The Musical Parody

Musically, A STAN IS BORN! features 10 original songs, but Sakellaris is careful to avoid the trap of mean-spirited caricature. The humour derives not from mocking the icons, but from the incongruity of a child channeling their energy.

“A key aspect of my show that affects the music is writing from the perspective of my younger self,” he says. “My diva worship begins when I’m 8 years old and I take the audience on that journey until I’m 12, so there’s this element of childlike wonder.”

By anchoring the narrative in his pre-teen experience, the comedy becomes earnest rather than ironic. “Taking everything super seriously, despite clearly being an adult telling the story, creates the comedic core.”

However, there is a clear boundary between the character on stage and the professional inhabiting him. While the “Stan” might consume every aspect of a diva’s life, Sakellaris the performer draws a line at the self-destructive habits often romanticised in show business.

“It would probably be self-neglect,” he admits when asked which diva trait he would leave on the cutting room floor. “Many singers start overworking themselves when their career reaches its stride… As a singer, I’d really love to avoid that happening. Rest and care are just as important as work, and I hope I can always look after myself.”

The Mayor of Gaienhofen

The show’s comedy often springs from the hypothetical “what ifs” of bringing high-camp energy to high-seriousness German bureaucracy. When pressed on how he would shake up the local administration, Sakellaris offers a vision of chaos so specific it deserves its own act.

“I would definitely make the mayor of my tiny German town (Gaienhofen) perform all the hits of Nina Hagen,” he says, invoking the legendary “Godmother of Punk” known for her operatic vocals and wild theatricality.

“She is something of a 1970s Lady Gaga or Björk… Her constant reinventions and crazy outfits are integral to her persona, so of course Mr Mayor would have to do them justice.”

The image of a small-town German official attempting Hagen’s vocal gymnastics is a perfect encapsulation of the world Sakellaris is trying to build. “Nina’s extraordinary voice, ranging from operatic tones to harsh growls and heavy rasps to whistle notes, would definitely make chaos ensue and have those villagers quaking in their boots!”

TikTok Fame vs. Theatrical Craft

While Sakellaris has cultivated a significant following on TikTok—where his “randomista AF” content ranges from German politics to Ziwe interviews—he remains a creature of the stage. He is quick to dispel the notion that his show is merely “content” transferred to a live venue.

“Interestingly, my background is in traditional musical theatre, so my default has always been long-form, live performance!” he says. “I started developing this show way before I even had a TikTok account (I was secretly hoping the app wouldn’t take off…)”

The viral fame is a happy accident, not the primary objective. “TikTok is a funny thing because it’s never the videos you expect that go viral… So I’ve learned not to rely on it too much.”

The Final Riff

A STAN IS BORN! tracks a journey from using diva worship as a shield to using it as a mirror. The icons that once protected a shy boy in a German village eventually embolden the man to embrace his own power.

“A key aspect of my show that affects the music is writing from the perspective of my younger self,” he says. “My diva worship begins when I’m 8 years old and I take the audience on that journey until I’m 12, so there’s this element of childlike wonder.”

Alexis Sakellaris

“I really feel as though the divas came to me in spirit and awakened my artistic interests as a way to protect me and give me strength,” Sakellaris reflects.

But as the show progresses, the narrative digs deeper than simple adoration. It touches on the sociological bond between queer men and the women they idolise—a bond often forged in a mutual need for resilience.

“The key is recognizing the impact of the real women in my life (my mother, my sister, my godmother, my female friends) and transferring that diva worship onto them,” he says. “As a queer person, I aim to honor that bond because time and time again, it is women who provide safe spaces for queer people to be themselves and live freely.”

It is a trajectory moving from external idolisation to internal validation. Or, as Sakellaris puts it: “My show deals with those positive aspects, culminating in stanning yourself (or how the hell you gonna stan somebody else?!)”

Featured Image: Alexis Sakellaris supplied by the artist