“Zorba the Greek” is back! So close to the Colomba d’Oro

A few steps from the Hotel Colomba d’Oro, “Zorba the Greek” is back by popular demand. This famous ballet is one of the masterpieces of Mikīs Theodōrakīs, the greatest contemporary Greek composer, who would have turned 100 this year. After the great success of the 2023 and 2024 editions, the Fondazione Arena is once again paying homage to this work with three unmissable nights: discover the folklore and culture of Greece and treat yourself to a stay at the Hotel Colomba d’Oro!

“Zorba the Greek” was born as a book: a novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, in 1946. It became famous worldwide twenty years later, in 1964, thanks to the 1964 movie starring Anthony Queen: it was for the soundtrack of that film that Theodōrakīs created the iconic “Zorba Dance”, better known as “Sirtaki”.
In 1988 that dance became a ballet, again thanks to Mikīs Theodōrakīs who created it specifically for the Verona Arena, supported by the New York choreographer Lorca Massine.
Directed by Theodōrakīs himself, the show debuted with enormous success and was revived in 1990, again with the composer on the podium. After enchanting audiences all over the world, it returned to Verona in 2002 but this time at the Roman Theatre; and then more recently with a performance in 2023 and two performances in 2024, always sold out and winning over the audience with over twenty minutes of applause and several encores.
And so this summer “Zorba the Greek” is returning to the Roman Theater on August 26, 27 and 31, promising new emotions just a few steps away from the Colomba d’Oro.

This is the plot: in a timeless Greece, John, an American tourist in love with Greek culture, tries to integrate into a community that sees him as a stranger. Only Zorba, a Greek with a great sense of friendship and an open mind, welcomes him and becomes his life teacher. When John falls in love with Marina, a young widow, Manolios’ jealousy and the hostility of the people lead to a tragic condemnation. Heartbroken, John finds in Zorba the strength to react thanks to dance, turning pain into a celebration of life.
Even after the death of Madame Hortense, a former variety show star to whom Zorba had given the joy of a last great love, the protagonist discovers in dance the way to overcome suffering, involving the entire community in a hymn to freedom and friendship.
The final dance is a song to the beauty of life and the importance of living every moment with intensity, without regrets, with an open heart.

The Colomba d’Oro, from which the Roman Theater can be reached very easily on foot or by taking advantage of the hotel’s bicycle rental service, is the perfect 4-star hotel to fully experience the emotion of the show, with luxury rooms and all the comforts that guarantee an unforgettable stay, the ideal place to return to after dancing to the rhythm of the sirtaki and eating a delicious ice cream on the banks of the Adige River.

Book your stay at the Colomba d’Oro and live one of the most extraordinary cultural experiences that Verona has to offer, attending the show “Zorba the Greek” in one of the most evocative locations in the city.