“I Want to See the Pope!” Crete Tour

Theophrastos Sakellaridis

TΗΕ GREEK NATIONAL OPERA TOURS GREECE – THEOPHRASTOS SAKELLARIDIS

Everyone wants to see the Pope! After a the first successful tour at the mainland, the legendary operetta I Want to See the Pope! by Theophrastos Sakellaridis is touring the island of Crete under Natasha Triantafylli’s direction, featuring an outstanding cast of opera performers and musicians.

The operetta I Want to See the Pope! (1920), which generated strong reactions upon its initial release, fully explores Theophrastos Sakellaridis’ modern bourgeois themes. The composer also penned the libretto, which is a domestic adaptation of Maurice Hennequin’s farce Les Joies du foyer (1894). The plot features a newly married bourgeois couple whose relationship is disrupted during their honeymoon trip to Rome when the young wife expresses the desire to see the Pope up close!

Tour Schedule:

19 May 2026 – Sitia Theatre “Melina Merkouri”

21 May 2026 – Ierapetra Theatre

23 May 2026 – Chania Theatre “Theodorakis”

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Score restored and adapted for chamber ensemble by Michalis Papapetrou
Stage direction: Natasha Triantafylli
Music coach: Nicolas Vassiliou
Dramaturgy, adaptation: Elena Triantafyllopoulou
Sets, costumes: Tina Tzoka
Movement: Dimitra Mitropoulou
Lighting design: Christos Tziogkas

Cast

Varonas: Dimitris Sigalos • Latroudis: Vangelis Maniatis • Mrs Latroudis: Julia Souglakou • Anna: Chrissa Maliamani • Adrianos: Nicolas Maraziotis • Rita: Marisia Papalexiou • Dimosthenis: Antonis Kyriakakis

Featuring the musicians: Ilias Skordilis (clarinet), Dionysis Vervitsiotis (violin), Dimitris Tigkas (double bass), Konstantinos Zigkeridis (bayan)