The Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera is traveling to Cyprus to present the legendary operetta I Want to See the Pope! by the great Theofrastos Sakellaridis, one of the pioneers of Greek operetta. Under the musical direction of Nikos Vassiliou and directed by Natassa Triantafylli, the production will be staged at the “Evis Gavrielides” Auditorium of the THOC Theatre for three exclusive performances on May 15, 16, and 17, 2025, at 20:00. The production is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the GNO’s artistic outreach.

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!

The work’s style, language, characters, music, and rhythm reveal a captivating stage world where hypocrisy, exaggeration, exhibitionism, and the unquestioned idealization of certain social institutions are sharply satirized. The audience witnesses a wedding, the expectations of the newlyweds and their relatives, and a Pope who—although he never appears—remains the unseen protagonist of the show throughout its duration, serving as a reminder of the fact that confusion, mix-ups, and the pitfalls of established values are often inextricable parts of human desire.   

I Want to See the Pope! by Theophrastos Sakellaridis (1883-1950), creator of The Godson – the most popular Greek operetta of all time –, is a work exploring contemporary urban themes, where the foundations of bourgeois life are undermined and the institution of family is strongly questioned. Following the genre’s standards, Sakellaridis exhibits exceptional musico-theatrical resourcefulness in portraying his characters, who sabotage the constants of family life.

The densely woven farce by Maurice Hennequin Les joies du foyer, which inspired I Want to See the Pope!, is brought to life through Sakellaridis’s fluid theatrical language. In this work, he achieves an ideal music dramaturgy, enriching the plot with fifteen musical numbers.

During her honeymoon trip in Italy, Anna, a newlywed bride, expresses the desire to see the Pope up close. When her husband doesn’t meet her wish, their marriage comes on the verge of falling apart. Upon their return to Athens, those close to them blatantly intervene in the couple’s shaken relationship, revealing in a comic-tragic light all the malaises and hypocrisy of the bourgeois class.

The operetta premiered at the Papaioannou Theatre at the junction of Patision and Kapodistriou streets in Athens, by the operetta company of the comedian Giannis Papaioannou (1873-1931) on 6 July 1920. It achieved significant success, resulting in a total of 72 performances in 1920. Moreover, the song of the same title became a hit that year and served as a motto for the era. There were, however, reactions from the Catholic Church of Greece because the song was seen as a satire of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The song of the same title was also used as an excuse for a murder that occurred outside the Catholic Church in Piraeus on 11 December 1921.

The operetta I Want to See the Pope! was first presented by the Greek National Opera on 14 February 2015, directed by Vasilis Papavasiliou.

The work I Want to See the Pope! is brought to life at the GNO Alternative Stage under the baton of Nicolas Vassiliou and with stage direction by the prolific director Natasha Triantafylli. Yannis Belonis restored and adapted the score for chamber ensemble, while Elena Triantafyllopoulou is responsible for the dramaturgy and adaptation.

Regarding the stage direction, Natasha Triantafylli notes: “At some point in 1920, Theophrastos Sakellaridis writes the piece titled I Want to See the Pope!. The First World War has ended. The financial situation is challenging, but there is also a need to escape into pleasure, a need for wild amusement, wealth, and prosperity. New dance schools, cinemas, and cabarets open up in Athens. Anna and Adrianos get married and go on a wedding trip to Rome, in the West. At the same time, however, Greek troops have already started to operate in the East, in Asia Minor. Through singing, we can speak of the most beautiful and worst things. We can dance. Through dancing, we can understand most things. We can choose whom we want to waltz with, whom we want to fox-trot with, and from whom we want to keep a distance, all while keeping the same rhythm. Yet, we get carried away and remain silent and motionless for many minutes, days, or even months.”.

The set and costume designs were created by Tina Tzoka, while Dimitra Mitropoulou directed the movement, and Christos Tziogkas was in charge of the lighting design.

The cast features Dimitris Sigalos (Varonas), Vangelis Maniatis (Mr Latroudis), Julia Souglakou (Mrs Latroudis), Chrissa Maliamani (Anna), Nicolas Maraziotis (Adrianos), Marissia Papalexiou (Rita), Antonis Kyriakakis (Dimosthenis), and the conductor Nicolas Vassiliou (Sergeant).

The nine-member instrumental ensemble consists of Nafsika Tsara (flute), Ilias Skordilis (clarinet), Petros Karatsolis (trombone), Dionisis Vervitsiotis (violin Ι), Vanessa Athanasiou (violin ΙΙ), Jannis Athanasopoulos (viola), Elli Filippou (cello), Oswald Amiralis (double bass), and Theo Vazakas (percussion).

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

Varonas: Dimitris Sigalos • Mr Latroudis: Vangelis Maniatis • Mrs Latroudi: Julia Souglakou • Αnna: Chrissa Maliamani • Adrianos: Nicolas Maraziotis • Rita: Marissia Papalexiou • Dimosthenis: Antonis Kyriakakis • Sergeant Nicolas Vassiliou

The nine-member instrumental ensemble consists of Nafsika Tsara (flute), Ilias Skordilis (clarinet), Petros Karatsolis (trombone), Dionisis Vervitsiotis (violin Ι), Vanessa Athanasiou (violin ΙΙ), Jannis Athanasopoulos (viola), Elli Filippou (cello), Oswald Amiralis (double bass), and Theo Vazakas (percussion).