Greece
Opera
Karagiozis as Rigoletto
Alexandros Melissinos / Dimitris Dimopoulos
Tour
The most famous and beloved hunchbacked jester in shadow puppet theatre, Karagiozis, is called upon to carry out… an operatic mission: to portray the most renowned hunchback in opera, Rigoletto! In the new shadow puppet opera production Karagiozis as Rigoletto, written by the prolific comedian, director, and librettist Dimitris Dimopoulos and the experienced shadow puppeteer Alexandros Melissinos, Karagiozis unexpectedly finds himself playing the lead role in Rigoletto at an opera house founded by the Vizier’s daughter in the saray (palace), all while learning with humour and a disarming innocence everything required to stage an opera.
The performance combines traditional shadow puppet theatre with excerpts from Giuseppe Verdi’s masterful opera Rigoletto, performed in Greek by three opera singers, humourously revealing the backstage of an opera house while imparting knowledge and abundant laughter in an alternative way!
The character of Karagiozis is brought to life with liveliness and originality by Alexandros Melissinos, making this performance a fresh and interactive take on shadow puppet theatre. Karagiozis as Rigoletto is a production suitable for both young and older audiences, promising to entertain and educate while demonstrating that tradition and the art of opera can be combined with humour and creativity.
Creative team
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Giuseppe Verdi Music -
Francesco Maria Piave Original libretto
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Dimitris Dimopoulos, Alexandros Melissinos Text
Cast
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Manos Kokkonis, Giannis Selitsaniotis, Marilena Striftombola, Dimitra Kotidou (28, 29/6/2026) Cast
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Alexandros Melissinos Shadow puppeteer
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Marina Christi Karagiozis’ assistant
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Christos Sakellaridis (29, 30/8/2025), Markos Kotsias (25, 27/11/2025 & 28, 29/6, 20/7/2026), Marilena Souri (25, 27/11/2025) Piano
See also
