REHEARSAL IMAGES RELEASED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE PIANIST
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WOLK TRANSFER COMPANY AND WILLETTE KLAUSNER
BY SPECIAL PRODUCTION ARRANGEMENT WITH ANDREAS SZPILMAN
PRESENT
REHEARSAL IMAGES RELEASED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
THE PIANIST
A NEW MUSICAL STAGE ADAPTATION OF WLADYSLAW SZPILMAN’S LANDMARK MEMOIR, FEATURING HIS ORIGINAL MUSIC, OPENING IN SOUTHAMPTON & LONDON THIS AUTUMN
ADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY THOM SOUTHERLAND
NEW MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS BY SIMON LEE
ALONGSIDE AN AWARD-WINNING CREATIVE TEAM
MAYFLOWER STUDIOS SOUTHAMPTON
WEDNESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2026
PARK THEATRE
THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2026
TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND HERE
REHEARSAL IMAGES AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE
REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICH SOUTHGATE
Rehearsal images are today released for the world premiere of The Pianist, a new musical stage adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s internationally acclaimed memoir, the inspiration behind Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning film.
The newly released images offer a first look inside rehearsals with the company, led by Daniel Krikler as Wladyslaw 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.
Written and directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), The Pianist will run at Park Theatre, London, from 15 October to 28 November 2026, with a national press night on Thursday 22 October. Before its London opening, the production will play a limited run at Mayflower Studios, Southampton, from 9 to 12 September 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.
About the show
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. Szpilman's music doesn't merely accompany this story; it breathes life into it, binding past to present and reminding us that some things, once made, can never truly be silenced.
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 Tuckerfor 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.
The production will feature new lyrics by an international group of writers and musicians, bringing fresh voice to Szpilman’s original compositions. The lyricists and songwriters include two-time Grammy nominee Carol Connors, acclaimed songwriter David Batteau, jazz singer Wendy Lands and collaborator Jim Gillard, Grammy-nominated Michael Ruff, and Szpilman’s son Andreas Szpilman. Together, their work allows Szpilman’s music to sit at the heart of the production, not simply as accompaniment, but as another voice in the telling of his story.
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.
