Can a dead lover be brought back to life as a perfect android?
Science fiction opera by Leonard Evers
Libretto by Pamela Dürr
Performed in German
Premiere
13. June 2025
Dates & Cast
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
- Conductor Chloé Dufresne
- Staging Lars Marcel Braun
- Set Design Victor Labarthe d'Arnoux
- Costume Design Selina Tholl
- Lighting Design Marco Dietzel
- Video Janic Bebi
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Alma Sofia Savenko
- Vivienne Dominika Škrabalová
- Kind Johannes Wieners
- Jonah Jongwoo Hong
- Piet Gerrit Illenberger
- Juri Andreas Scheibner
Related event
In brief
Do machines also have human rights? In the year 2037, the programmer Jonah has withdrawn to his studio following the loss of his partner. There, with the help of his robot Juri, he builds the android Alma. His best friend Piet becomes increasingly worried by Jonah’s growing attachment to Alma. And why does he erase her memory every night? When an unknown child sneaks into the rooms and befriends Alma, the small world of the studio is shaken to its core. And what is the story behind the mysterious appearance of Jonah’s former girlfriend Vivienne?
Leonard Evers, one of the most successful composers of music theatre for children and young people, composed „humanoid“ in 2019, a work exploring the relationship between man and machine. At the same time, it’s also a thrilling science fiction opera for young people. The score borrows from the music of the Romantic age as well as jazz, twelve-tone music, soundtracks and musicals to create 60 minutes of musical variety and a few surprises. Today, a huge amount of research is being conducted into robots, with the first model androids already developed several years ago. In his gripping opera, Evers poses an ethical dilemma that is still unresolved: Who is human and who is machine?
Storyline
Act I
In programmer Jonah’s lab. A new day. Juri, an old robot model, keeps things tidy. Jonah turns on the android Alma, whose memory he erases every night, introduces himself to her (again) and shows her the world. He is yanked out of his routine by the arrival of his girlfriend Vivienne. She has sold her hair in order to afford the journey to see him. Before she can take a closer look around the lab, Jonah pushes her out and takes her to her apartment.
In his absence, Alma is joined by a mysterious child who encourages her to be independent. When Jonah returns that evening with his friend Piet, the child witnesses Alma's memory being erased. As a gift Piet has brought a wig made of Vivienne's hair, which does not elicit joy from Jonah, but rather nightmarish feelings. Piet, believing Jonah is slowly losing his mind due to his life with his androids, advises him to buy a data shredder to regain control of everything if necessary.
Act II
The next evening arrives. The child encourages Alma to become aware of her own imagination and strength. To bypass the deletion of her experiences, they save a copy of Alma's memory in Juri’s system. Shortly after Jonah and Piet come to the lab, they receive a visit from Vivienne. Piet reveals that she is also an android. The "human" Vivienne died some time ago, and Jonah created an artificial Vivienne, equipping it with his memories. Vivienne, in a rage, is destroyed by the two men. They sense that something is not right with Alma and Juri and leave the lab in order to get hold of the data shredder. The child transfers Alma's memory again. Jonah and Piet return to destroy the androids. The final struggle begins …
