In April 2017, Katerina Vrana, one of Greece’s top stand-up comedians, was on tour in Malaysia. On the third city of the tour, she fell severely ill and was hospitalised. The situation ended up being far more serious than first suspected, and she was put into a coma in order to save her life. 

* Spoiler alert* Katerina survived!

After two months in the hospital in Malaysia, she returned to Greece, where she was hospitalised for a further three months. Since September 2017, Katerina has been recovering slowly but steadily. She still faces issues with her mobility, balance, eyesight, and speech.

All of this is used as material in her stand-up comedy show “Staying Alive (I nearly died, you know)”.  With her unique sense of humor, the beloved stand-up comedian manages to transform her near-death experience into to a show full of optimism, laughter and love for life. 

The show was first performed in Greek, in Athens, in 2019 where it sold out all its dates before even opening. 

Show lasts: 90 minutes

Katerina Vrana:

Katerina Vrana performs stand-up comedy in both Greek and English all over the world. Her shows have sold out in Athens, London and at the Edinburgh Fringe and Melbourne comedy festivals. 

CNN has included her in its list of “Female Comedians you must see”. In December 2016 she came third in Laugh Factory’s international competition “Funniest Person in the World” which was aimed at countries which do not have a tradition in stand-up comedy. 

In April 2017, while on tour in Malaysia, she fell seriously ill and nearly died. Her show "Staying Alive (I Nearly Died, You Know)" in 2019, about her illness and recovery, sold out before it even started its run in Athens.