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After last year's success in Greece, "The Suitcase Opera" is continuing to present famous works in a different way, in unexpected places. In this way, the Greek National Opera is trying to make opera accessible to a wider audience.

This time, the multifunctional hall of Syntagma metro station will host the famous opera "La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini, directed by Isidoros Sideris, subtitled in Greek, with free admission to the public on Sunday, 12 May, at 6: 00 p.m.

"The Suitcase Opera" revives famous operas for the entire audience, performed by artists from the Greek National Opera, to the accompaniment of a piano instead of an orchestra and small, easy to carry sets. The performance is supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation in collaboration with Urban Rail Transport S.A. which has decorated spaces with works of art, giving a different tone to daily passenger trips.

Love and Death

The opera "La Boheme" tells the story of the love of the poet Rodolfo and seamstress Mimi, from the moment of their first meeting to the girl's death from tuberculosis. This is a lyrical work in four acts, based on the novel Scenes from the life of bohemians by Henri Myurzhe and the theatrical play "Bohemian life" by Théodore Barrière. The libretto was written by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica.

Feelings are the central theme of the work. After its cheerful beginning, cold settles everywhere. Shaking caused by cold and death goes through the whole act until it stops at Mimi's lifeless body. The spring is the only hope, but some will not live long enough to see it.

The production’s director notes: “The Suitcase Opera presents La bohème in an alternative form. Its aim is not to compete with the central stage of the Greek National Opera, but, rather, using simple media and the power of music and our cast, to approach a new audience.”

In La bohème, the intensity of the music is in constant dialogue with the fervent intensity and density of the performance. Humour and suspense are juxtaposed with the wonderful melodrama of the libretto and the music, creating a contemporary and direct show that is within the reach of all audiences.

Director: Isidoros Sideris; Sets and Costumes: Giannis Katranitsas; Accompaniment: Frixos Mortzos; Choreographer: Dionysis Tsaftaridis; Lights: Nikos Ergazakis; Starring: Yiannis Christopoulos, Anna Stylianaki, Haris Andrianos, Maria Kokka, Zafiris Koutelieris.