Oscar-nominated romance Cold War to have London stage adaptation by Conor McPherson and feature songs by Elvis Costello

London’s Almeida theatre has announced a stage adaptation of the Oscar-nominated romance Cold War, a postwar tale of two musician lovers whose passion is disrupted by the privations of the eastern bloc. Cold War earned three Oscar and four Bafta nominations.

The stage adaptation will be by Conor McPherson, the Irish playwright who vividly dramatised Bob Dylan’s songwriting in Girl from the North Country. Elvis Costello songs will feature alongside choral works and traditional Polish folk songs.

Set to runbetween November 2023 and January 2024, the production will be directed by Almeida's artistic director Rupert Goold.

Anya Chalotra, known for the lead role of Yennefer in TV fantasy drama The Witcher, will play the headstrong Zula, while Luke Thallon – recently directed by Goold in the Peter Morgan play Patriots – will play her pianist lover Wiktor. Also announced in the cast is Elliot Levey, who won an Olivier award in 2022 for his performance in Rebecca Frecknall’s West End production of Cabaret.

Cold War is another foray into musical theatre for Goold, following his 2022 production Tammy Faye, a new musical about the US televangelist of the same name. It featured music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and a book by James Graham, and won two Olivier awards this year for actors Katie Brayben and Zubin Varla.