Cold War - by Pawel Pawlikowski (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Poland, 1949. Zula is bold and brilliant, a singer who ignites the stage. Wiktor is withdrawn and damaged, a composer longing to write. Irresistibly drawn to each other, they dream of escape. But in Communist-controlled Poland, the desire for freedom can be a dangerous thing.

Based on the film by Academy Award winner Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War is an epic love story spanning the decades and breadth of Europe at its most divided, and a compelling story of passion, redemption, and the journey to be free.

This stage adaptation by Conor McPherson was first performed at the Almeida Theatre, London, in November 2023, directed by Rupert Goold, and featuring traditional Polish songs alongside music by Elvis Costello.

Review Quotes

"One of the best plays of 2023... superlatively resonant... a small but mighty piece... simply exquisite."--iNews

"Bewitching... a lush tender play with joy as well as trauma... The script by Conor McPherson stays close to Pawel Pawlikowski's original and finds a truly theatrical, darkly witty character of its own."--The Times

"A triumph."--Telegraph

"An exquisitely sad love story, brilliantly translated to the stage."--Evening Standard

"Beautiful... a swooning adaptation... like a sad, smokey late-night cabaret performance in a faded old bar: there's a glamour to it but it's intimate, warm and nocturnal... it really is a lovely show."--Time Out

"Gloriously melancholic... an almost tangible sense of pain and half-concealed emotion... an unusual and original show, one that haunts you long after you leave the theatre, its essential sadness sweetened by tinges of hope and a deep humanity."--WhatsOnStage

About the Author

Pawel Pawlikowski is a Polish-born filmmaker living in Britain. His films include: Last Resort (2000), My Summer of Love (2004), Ida (2013) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and Cold War (2018), for which Pawlikowski won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.

Conor McPherson is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays include: The Weir (Royal Court, London, Duke of York's, West End and Walter Kerr Theatre, New York; Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, George Devine Awards); Dublin Carol (Royal Court and Atlantic Theater, New York); Port Authority (Ambassadors Theatre, West End, Gate Theatre, Dublin and Atlantic Theater, New York); Shining City (Royal Court, Gate Theatre, Dublin and Manhattan Theatre Club, New York; Tony Award nomination for Best Play); The Seafarer (National Theatre, London, Abbey Theatre, Dublin and Booth Theater, New York; Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard, Tony Award nominations for Best Play); The Night Alive (Donmar Warehouse, London and Atlantic Theater, New York); Girl from the North Country (Old Vic, London); and The Brightening Air (Old Vic, London, 2025). Theatre adaptations Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (West End, 2020) and Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War (Almeida Theatre, 2023), among others. His work for television and cinema includes the films I Went Down, Saltwater, Samuel Beckett's Endgame, The Actors, The Eclipse, and Strangers, as well as an adaptation of John Banville's Elegy for April for the BBC, and the original television drama Paula for BBC2.