Eighteen musicians from the Commandaria Orchestra will meet on Rialto Theatre’s stage with the renowned French actress Fanny Ardant this October to present the Cypriot premiere of Michael Jarrell’s spoken opera – Cassandre. With surtitles in three languages (Greek, Russian and English), the French-language performance is set to welcome a diverse audience and bring fresh air to Limassol’s arts scene.

Cassandre is a spoken opera by Swiss composer Jarrell, laureate of the Beethoven Prize, and on October 2 it arrives in Cyprus for the first time as presented by the Cyprus International Theatre Festival. It is based on Christa Wolf’s novel of the same title and staged by director Hervé Loichemol. In it, a woman, played by French screen star Ardant, foresees catastrophe, though she is condemned never to be believed, and speaks the truth as her world falls apart.

Ardant’s spoken text is carried, surrounded and at times masked by the live ensemble. As an award-winning performer herself (César Award), with a career of over 80 films and the muse of François Truffaut, Ardant is as much the star of this performance as the piece itself.

She returns to Cyprus nine years after her memorable appearance at Paphos Castle to perform Cassandre after carrying the work to Avignon, Paris and Athens, unable to let this role go. “My only luxury in life,” the actress says, “is to do what I love. I am not professional enough to perform a role I do not love.”

And that is not all the Cyprus International Theatre Festival has in store for October. On the evening before the premiere, an Open Talk will take place at Crowne Plaza Limassol Hotel & Spa where the actress will meet guests in person for cocktails and conversation.

The 2.30pm talk will be moderated by Katerina Gordeeva, an independent journalist known for her long-form interview project Skazhi Gordeevoy (Tell Gordeeva), one of the most closely followed interview formats in the Russian-speaking world. The event will open with Opera Moments, a vocal tribute to Maria Callas performed by soprano Ksenia Belolipetskaya with pianist Zbyněk Maruška. As the day comes to a close, all roads will lead to Rialto Theatre as Ardant takes the stage for this one-night-only performance.

Cassandre

French actress, Fanny Ardant, performs Michael Jarrell’s spoken opera. Live music by the Commandaria Orchestra. Presented by the Cyprus International Theatre Festival. October 2. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8pm. In French. Surtitles in Greek, English and Russian. www.soldoutticketbox.com,  www.citf.cy/2026/cassandre-fanny-ardant