I WANT TO SEE THE POPE!

Description

The legendary operetta I Want to See the Pope! by the renowned Theophrastos Sakellaridis, one of the master builders of Greek operetta, is coming, a century later, to GNO TV in a new, ambitious production.
The production was presented in the Alternative Stage of the GNO.
Conducted by Nicolas Vassiliou and directed by Natasha Triantafylli and featuring a select cast of distinguished soloists and a nine-member instrumental ensemble.

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.

The production “I WANT TO SEE THE POPE!” is part of the GNO Alternative Stage’s unit of programming titled “MUSIC THEATRE DAYS”, which falls under the ACT “FESTIVAL EVENTS OF THE GNO ALTERNATIVE STAGE 2024-2025” » (MIS 6002467) with code 2024ΕΠ08570049 (Priority: “Fostering regional social cohesion through the enhancement of mechanisms and infrastructure to support employment, education, health care and socioeconomic inclusion” of the programme “Attica 2021-2027) and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and National Resources.

The funding body of the project is the Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with funding from the European Union - NextGeneration EU.

The recording of the production took place at the Greek National Opera’s Alternative Stage at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on February 7 and 8, 2025.

At a glance – Synopsis

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.

Creative team – Cast

Score restored and adapted for chamber ensemble by Yannis Belonis
Conductor: Nicolas Vassiliou
Director: Natasha Triantafylli
Dramaturgy, adaptation: Elena Triantafyllopoulou
Set, 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

Flute: Nafsika Tsara
Clarinet: Ilias Skordilis
Trombone: Petros Karatsolis
Violin Ι: Dionisis Vervitsiotis
Violin ΙΙ: Vanessa Athanasiou
Viola: Jannis Athanasopoulos
Cello: Elli Filippou
Double bass: Dimitris Tigkas
Percussion: Theo Vazakas

Director's note

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.