The immersive musical is the product of a collaboration between internationally renowned Ukrainian choreographer and director Pavlo Bondarenko, Ukrainian star Golda Amirova, and Alexandrina Markvo, creative producer and director of the London-based music, art, and theatre production company Bird&Carrot Productions. The show had its premiere on November 28 and 29 at the Tabernacle Theatre in Notting Hill. In March 2024, it will hit the West End at the legendary Theatre Royal Haymarket.

To bring the storyline to life, Golda Amirova is joined by virtuoso jazz musicians and contemporary dancers. Under the masterful direction of Greek-Ukrainian musician and composer Eugene Kostyts, this production skillfully blends Ukrainian, Russian, English, Hebrew, and Yiddish musical themes, creating a rich emotional landscape.

The dramaturg Anna Rulevskaya and acclaimed production designer Nina Kobiashvili have joined the creative team of this show. David Koma, the renowned fashion designer, has created Golda’s stunning garments.

Markvo (Bird&Carrot) describes the project this way: “Golda’s talent captivated me first and foremost, and her personal story touched me deeply. She had a prosperous career in her native Ukraine before the war. However, I am sure she has what it takes to become a global celebrity, and I am honoured to present her to the London audience.”

“Golda is from Odessa, a wonderfully diverse city with a significant Jewish population. I’ve had the chance to honour my own Ukrainian and Jewish heritage by working on this show. We succeeded in bringing together a distinctive multinational team of gifted people from many nations who are bound together by a dislike of war. We have collaborated to produce a performance that captures both the hope and the suffering of the current era that we are all living through,” says a member of the creative team, explaining their involvement in this project by a deep personal connection to Golda’s story.

Created with the aim of depicting the true strength of the human spirit and the remarkable capacity of art to heal traumas and unite people, GOLDA is more than just a show; it is also a powerful testament to love and culture’s power.

One of the most profound moments of the show is a drum number composed by Ukrainian-Greek virtuoso Eugene Kostyts, paired with the striking choreography of Pavlo Bondarenko. In this evocative piece, Kostyts and Bondarenko masterfully portray the sharp transition from the tranquillity of peace to the chaos of war. Their personal experiences as war refugees infuse authenticity into every note and step presented on stage.

This performance stirs the audience’s deepest emotions, vividly reflecting the dramatic shift and its impact on the characters and storyline. The powerful drumming serves not merely as a musical element but also as a potent narrative device. It symbolizes the upheaval and turmoil brought by conflict, at times resembling the cacophony of bombings, the predictable ticking of a clock hanging on the wall of a destroyed house, and the arrhythmic heartbeats of lone survivors.

All profits from the ticket sales went to the Ukrainian KINDERVELT fund, an organization committed to providing urgent psychological support to children impacted by the conflict in Ukraine, using leading-edge Israeli therapeutic practices for this purpose.

Further information and tickets for the upcoming show at Theatre Royal Haymarket are available on GOLDA’s official website.