Visual Artist.
Lighting Designer.
A sci-fi opera fairy tale inspired by Jules Verne.
Czech music publicist and composer Lukáš Hurník drew inspiration for the libretto and music of his new opera Malfunction on the Nautilus from Jules Verne’s captivating and visionary 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Hurník leads young audiences and their families through the playful corners of the operatic genre with a clever and humorously updated story of the brave Captain Nemo, who, aboard his beloved submarine together with his highly distinctive crew, sets out beyond the horizon of the Pacific Ocean into the distant depths to explore a mysterious object of unknown origin. The expedition goes relatively smoothly—until a malfunction occurs. How will the crew deal with such a situation? What is this intriguing object? And will Nemo and his friends manage to return to the surface?
The world premiere of this fairy-tale comic opera took place on July 13, 2024, at the Municipal Theatre in Znojmo. We are now delighted to present it to the Liberec audience, reviving the long-standing tradition of staging opera fairy tales for families with children.
CREATIVE TEAM
Music and Libretto: Lukáš Hurník
Musical Preparation, Conductor: Zdeněk Červinka
Director: Eliška MervartováSet Set Design: Kristina Komárková
Lighting Design and Video Projections: Martin Krupa
Costumes: Magdalena Černá
Dramaturgy: Tereza Konývka Frýbertová
Musical Preparation, Rehearsals: Maxim Biriucov
Assistant Director: Šárka Brodaczová
Concertmasters: Yuriy Horbachuk, Petr Matěják
Stage Manager: Marian Mičjar
Prompt: Alena Mirjam Režná
Photography: Daniel Dančevský
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Theatre: Malé divadlo
Duration: 1:20
Number of Intermissions: 1
Premiere: September 19, 2025
CHARACTERS AND CAST
Salma: Veronika Kaiserová
Neda: Petra Vondrová
Alcor: Dušan Růžička
Captain Nemo: Miloš Horák
Engineer Smith: Aleš Janiga
Little Octopus Mantik: Emma Dědková, Valerie Půtová, Lucie Vojčiniaková
Voice of the Dispatcher: Matěj Neubauer
Orchestra: Orchestr DFXŠ