KOLJA
What if you are deaf in a world where everything revolves around music? The resilient story of the deaf boy Kolja from Arthur Japin’s novel of the same name now comes to life in a heartwarming musical theatre production, for which Japin himself wrote the libretto. With dramatic arias, festive choral scenes, and a key role for soprano Francis van Broekhuizen, the performance opens the shutters to nineteenth-century Saint Petersburg.
There we meet the young deaf Kolya, who builds a special bond with the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, known for The Nutcracker and Swan Lake , among others. A true story about life and death, love and betrayal, loneliness and friendship. For everyone who has ever felt different.
As a child, Kolya cannot hear or speak and is neglected by his mother. But with Tchaikovsky and his brother Modest, he finds care and security. The musical brothers, in turn, also struggle to be themselves in a world that does not accept their homosexuality. In the performance, we see Kolya blossom from an outcast child into a self-assured young man who eventually learns to speak. Under the care of his governess Sofia and the Tchaikovsky brothers, he discovers that there is strength and inner richness hidden within his difference. Francis van Broekhuizen shines as the loving Sofia, who becomes entangled in an unattainable love and thereby puts Tchaikovsky’s life at stake.
Following Trijn (2022), KOLJA is the second Dutch-language music theatre production by the SONO foundation. Arthur Japin’s poignant story about the struggle to be oneself resonates in surprising music by composer Bob Zimmerman, inspired by the romantic sound world of Tchaikovsky. In a clear and engaging direction by Jeroen Lopes Cardozo, alongside Francis van Broekhuizen, we hear renowned singers such as Peter Bording, Aylin Sezer, and Huub Claessens, and 22-year-old Dutch tenor talent Olivier Kemler takes on the title role of Kolja. They are joined by an enthusiastic ensemble of young actors and singers, a participatory choir together with the Klein OperaKoor, and the well-known orchestra Club Classique from the TV program Podium Klassiek, conducted by Roel Vogel. This grandly staged music theatre production will be exclusively presented in just four theaters in September 2026: Chassé Theater, DeLaMar, Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, and Theater Orpheus.
KOLJA would like to reach out to deaf and hard-of-hearing people: during the performance, SDH surtitles will be available and there will be an introduction by a Dutch Sign Language interpreter.
