1989

A performance that tells the story of one of the most important moments in Poland’s recent history with boldness and flair. Instead of pathos, it offers energy, rhythm, intimacy, and a polyphonic narrative about freedom, struggle, and love.

On December 1, 2023, at Aula Artis in Poznań, audiences saw 1989, a musical directed by Katarzyna Szyngiera, co-produced by the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków and the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. Inspired by the Broadway hit Hamilton, the production brings rap and contemporary forms of expression into the story of communism’s fall in Poland. With music composed by Andrzej Mikosz “Webber,” history gains a new emotional charge — alive, dynamic, and unexpectedly personal.

The narrative focuses on the lives of three couples: the Frasyniuks, the Wałęsas, and the Kurońs, portraying both the backstage of political transformation and the dramas of everyday life: imprisonment, love, uncertainty, and loss. The musical resonates because it not only reconstructs events but also restores their human scale. 1989 is a production that bridges generations. It engages, moves, and teaches.