First production images have been released for the world premiere of THE PIANIST, a new musical stage adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s internationally acclaimed memoir, following its performances at Southampton’s Mayflower Studios.
The production is led by Daniel Krikler as Szpilman, alongside Rosalind Ford as ‘Mother’; Oliver Grant as ‘Hosenfeld’; TJ Holmes as ‘Father’; Mischa Jardine as ‘Janina’; Elżbieta Kalicka as ‘Regina’; Nitai Levi as ‘Henryk’; Melania Maggiore as ‘Halina’; Max Roll as ‘Gimpel/Majorek’; with ensemble members Oliver Magor and Erin Rowlatt.
Following its Southampton run, THE PIANIST will run at Park Theatre in London from 15 October to 28 November 2026.
This landmark new production brings Szpilman’s story and music together on stage for the first time, featuring Szpilman’s own compositions with new musical arrangements by Simon Lee, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-time Musical Director.
A cast of virtuoso actor-musicians conjures the golden age of Jewish Warsaw in all its warmth and wit: the packed concert halls, the candlelit cafés, the irrepressible spirit of a city that loved music above all else.
Original compositions from the so-called “Polish Gershwin” score his story: popular songs that had Warsaw humming, compositions that made him a star.
At its heart, this is a love letter to culture, to the artists and dreamers who carried it, and to the extraordinary power of creativity to outlast even the most turbulent chapters of history.
THE PIANIST is produced by Wolk Transfer Company and Willette Klausner, presented by special production arrangement with Andreas Szpilman, son of the Pianist.
The creative team is led by adaptor and director Thom Southerland, with new arrangements, musical supervision, and orchestrations by Simon Lee, choreography & movement direction by Karen Bruce, set and video design by Andrzej Goulding, costume design by Jonathan Lipman, lighting design by Robbie Butler, sound design by Gareth Tucker for Autograph Sound, musical direction by Malcolm Forbes-Peckham, assistant direction by Josh Whatsize, casting by Ginny Schiller CDG & Ben Armstrong with Executive producing and general management by DEM Productions.
Best known worldwide through his memoir and the Academy Award-winning film it is based on, Wladyslaw Szpilman was not only a Holocaust survivor, but one of Poland’s most celebrated composers and pianists.
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