For those who think Greek summer is all about beaches and tzatziki, think again. The Heraklion Cultural and Conference Center offers a once-in-a-lifetime event: on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, at the grand “Andreas & Maria Kalokairinou” Hall, spectators get to watch the Sofia Opera Ballet tackle “Zorba.” Yes, that Zorba. The musical. The one where dancing breaks out faster than sunburn at midday.
To mark 100 years since Mikis Theodorakis’s birth, Bulgaria’s finest dancers take on his blockbuster score. If you missed the note, this is the man who made Greek music go global, thanks to a film based on a Nikos Kazantzakis bestselling novel.
This version of Zorba the Musical comes with new orchestration. It draws from the film “Zorba the Greek,” directed by Michael Cacoyannis, and boosts Theodorakis’s work with choreography by Lorca Massine. The ballet’s world premiere in Verona drew crowds in 1988—audiences loved the music, the moves, and probably the after-party.
For two nights, Heraklion drags visitors (willingly or not) into the fever dream of Kazantzakis’s world, all told by the Sofia Opera’s ballet company. The dancing brings Kazantzakis’s characters to life, right down to the last wine-soaked step on the sand. If you’re here to snap selfies and say you felt “cultured,” congratulations! This is your chance.
Event Details at a Glance
- “Zorba the Musical” by Mikis Theodorakis, performed by Sofia Opera Ballet.
- Dates: Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1
- Time: 21:00 (you’ve got all day to sunbathe)
- Location: Cultural and Conference Center of Heraklion, “Andreas & Maria Kalokairinou” Hall
- Celebration: 100 years since Mikis Theodorakis’s birth (1925–2021)
- Based on the music for “Zorba the Greek,” with new choreography and an enthusiastic (but unpaid) dash of tourist awe
- Original world premiere: Arena di Verona, 1988. Come for the music, stay for the side-eye from the dancers
Tickets:
- General tickets: 35€, 25€, 18€
- Discounted for the lucky (or unlucky): 18€, 12€ (unemployed, persons with disabilities, families with three or more kids, and folks under 25)
- Tickets are available at:
- Vikelaia Library Bookstore (call 2813409247 before you trek through the Cretan heat)
- ticketservices.gr (for those who love clicking buttons)
- Venue entrance before the show (last-minute panic, ancient Greek style)
Sponsors:
- Flights: AEGEAN Airlines, because you can’t dance across Europe
- Hospitality: Economou Hotels, Karatarakis Hotel & Restaurants, ASTORIA CAPSIS HOTEL—beds not included in the ticket price
- Bus rides: Union Coach Services. Obey the driver
- Ferries: Minoan Lines, if you prefer seasickness to airport lines
- Learning: SAEK AKMI, for those seeking wisdom or at least a certification
- Safety: ERGOPROLIPSIS, so you don’t sprain anything watching ballet
- And, yes, Coca-Cola and other local giants ensure your thirst will not go unquenched.
- Certification: TUV AUSTRIA
- Communication: ERT 3, ERT Heraklion, ERT Chania
- Extra: SYFAK, Plastika Kritis, Halkiadakis S.A., Pagkritio Educational Institution, and more whose names only sound Greek if you’ve heard enough
- Supporters: Hotel Olympic, Aquila Atlantis Hotel, AKEK S.A., Motor Oil, Marin Hotel, Mihanotexniki
Tourists looking for a break from sunburn and gyros won’t want to miss this. “Zorba the Musical,” led by the Sofia Opera Ballet, gives the crowd an epic taste of Theodorakis’s legacy. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder if you can dance like a true Greek. Spoiler: you can’t.