Flery’s Song at Rialto Theatre in Limassol

The theatrical monologue by award-winning prose writer Dimitris Economou about the life and work of Flery Dantonaki, directed by Manos Karatzogiannis and featuring Eleni Kokkidou in the title role, comes to the Rialto Theatre on 14 May.

The audience is nothing morethan our parents and ourselvesa defenceless child before them

1985. Roman Agora.Flery Dantonaki’s final major concert. The event becomes a cultural phenomenon, with an enormous crowd—so large that people cling to the railings just to watch. Moments before the show begins, Flery suffers a severe bout of agoraphobia and refuses to go on stage. She spends some time alone, trying to recover and summon the courage she needs. How was she feeling? Where did she search for strength? What were her guiding values—and what haunted her? This play explores those intense moments—her thoughts, emotions, fears, and insecurities—seeking the delicate boundary between Art and sacrifice, between genius and the cost it demands. Following his acclaimed productions Eleni (about Eleni Papadaki), Guardian of a Revolution (about Yiannis Vlachoyiannis), and his film on Melina Mercouri, Melina, Freeze Frame – In Search of Modern Greekness, Manos Karatzogiannis directs Eleni Kokkidou in a performance that captivated both audiences and critics during the past theatre season. The script, a tribute to the extraordinary Greek singer, Flery Dantonaki, is written by award-winning prose writer Dimitris Economou.

Director’s Note

Maybe she’s right. In any case, she’s telling the truth—her truth.Just like all the “mad ones” do...Only in her case, the child inside is a miracle, and her madness feels like it comes straight from the moon. Yes, we are speaking about Flery—fifty years after the release of “The Great Erotic”—about “her song, her moments of heartbreak”, as captured in the exceptional text by prose writer Dimitris Economou, who marks his first venture into theatre writing, and brought vividly to life by Eleni Kokkidou’s heartfelt performance.

Then there’s the sound of Manos Hadjidakis—always “incomparable,” just as the composer himself once described Flery’s voice.

A voice capable of setting our hearts free.A voice like that of Flery Dantonaki.

Manos Karatzogiannis

Language: Greek

14 May 2025 Wednesday , 20:30

Rialto Theatre, Limassol 

Tickets/Info: €22/20 | https://rialto.interticket.com/program/to-tragoudji-tis-phlerus-3226/6747 or through phone 77 77 77 45 (mon-fri 10:00-15:00)