This November sees the world premiere of Cold War based on Paweł Pawlikowski’s Academy Award-nominated film of the same name, with a creative team including Grammy Award-winner Elvis Costello and Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country).
Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold (Tammy Faye) directs Anya Chalotra (The Witcher), Elliot Levey (Cabaret) and Luke Thallon (Patriots) in this compelling story of passion, redemption, and the journey to be free.
Anya Chalotra
Anya Chalotra
Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2020, Anya Chalotra is arguably best known for her leading role in Lauren Schmidt Hissrich’s Netflix adaptation, The Witcher. Her standout performance across its three seasons has given her a global platform and international following.
Theatre includes: Peter Gynt (National Theatre); The Village (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe).
Television includes: The Witcher; The ABC Murders; Wanderlust.
Audio includes: The Cipher; Sherwood.
Elliot Levey
Elliot Levey
For the Almeida: Nine Lessons and Carols: stories for a long winter; Three Sisters.
Theatre includes: Good (Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor); Cabaret (Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role); Mary Stuart; The Ruling Class; Much Ado About Nothing (West End); Snowflake (Kiln Theatre); St Joan; Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse); The Mighty Walzer (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester); Kafka’s Dick (Theatre Royal Bath); Canvas (Chichester Festival Theatre); Danton’s Death; The Habit of Art; All’s Well That Ends Well; England People Very Nice; Henry IV; His Dark Materials (National Theatre); Beasts and Beauties (Bristol Old Vic); Comedy of Errors, Tempest (RSC); Monkey! (Young Vic); On Ego; On Religion (Soho Theatre).
Film includes: Denial; Fallen; The Chamber; Florence Foster Jenkins; The Lady in the Van; Philomena; The Wall; The Queen; Filth and Wisdom; Song of Songs; Spooks; The Gospel of John.
Television includes: Anne; Queenie; We Were The Lucky Ones; This Way Up; The Amazing Mr Blunden; Endeavour; Parade’s End; Life; Truth Seekers; Quiz; Martin’s Close; State of the Union; Peaky Blinders; Press; Watergate; Black Earth Rising; The Child in Time; Man Down; Jamaica Inn; Touch of Cloth; Da Vinci’s Demons; Beau Brummell; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Robin Hood; Ripper Street; Fat Friends; Lovejoy.
Luke Thallon
Luke Thallon
Luke trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
For the Almeida: Patriots (also West End); Nine Lessons and Carols: stories for a long winter; Albion.
Theatre includes: Camp Siegfried; Present Laughter (The Old Vic); After Life (National Theatre); Leopoldstadt; Pinter at the Pinter Season (West End); Cock (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Inheritance (Young Vic).
Luke won the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance in Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt on the West End and was nominated for the Evening Standard Emerging Talent Award for the Almeida’s production of Albion in 2017. In 2022, he was listed by The Stage as one of the top 25 theatre makers of the future.
Cold War will go on sale alongside the previously announced King Lear featuring Danny Sapani (Killing Eve) and directed by Yaël Farber (The Tragedy of Macbeth).
On Sale Dates
Cold War and King Lear will go on sale to:
Patrons, Gold, Silver & Bronze Friends Tue 26 Sep 12pm
Almeida Friends Thu 28 Sep 12pm
General Public Tue 3 Oct 12pm
Join as a member to access priority booking and support our artistic vision.
Also announced today, following its critically acclaimed run in 2021, our production of the Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening is being screened in selected cinemas across the UK this November.
Additionally, six exciting new writers join our Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme for 2023-25. They are Georgia Bruce, Shahid Iqbal Khan, Martha Loader, Nikhil Parmar, Eoghan Quinn and Kirsty Rider. Find out more about the writers and the programme, supported by the Genesis Foundation here.
A note from Artistic Director Rupert Goold:
“When I first saw Paweł Pawlikowski’s film Cold War, I was swept away by its beauty, passion and style. Its theatricality struck me as ripe for a stage adaption. So, I’m incredibly excited to be presenting Conor McPherson’s adaptation, with music by Elvis Costello.
Cold War follows a run of musicals at the Almeida over the last couple of years, including Spring Awakening which played through the peak of the Omicron Covid wave. It’s fantastic that more people will get to see it now, with our film of the production showing in cinemas this November.
Finally, we announce our 2023-25 group of Genesis Almeida Writers, six artists with big, imaginative, ambitious ideas. In addition to the mentoring from our literary team, they will receive expert advice from some of the most inspiring theatre-makers in the country. We continue to be extremely grateful to the Genesis Foundation for their support of this scheme, giving us the opportunity to work with so many brilliant emerging and mid-career writers.”
