Production photos released for world premiere of THE PIANIST

Shehrazade Zafar-Arif 14 September, 2026, 17:23

Production photos have been released for the new musical stage adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s internationally acclaimed memoir, The Pianist, which will have its world premiere at the Park Theatre in October.

Photo by Anthony Leary-White

Wladyslaw Szpilman was a Holocaust survivor and a celebrated Polish Jewish composer and concert pianist living in Warsaw in the 1930s, during the Nazi invasion of Poland. His memoir served as the inspiration for Roman Polanski’s Academy Award-winning 2002 film starring Adrien Brody. This new musical adaptation is written and directed by Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), featuring Szpilman’s own music with new lyrics and freshly orchestrated by Simon Lee.

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, Szpilman’s son Andreas Szpilman, and award-winning lyricist Marcy Heisler.

Daniel Krikler stars as 'Wladyslaw Szpilman', with 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’; and Max Roll as ‘Gimpel/Majorek’.

The Pianist will run at the Park Theatre from 15 October to 28 November 2026, with a national press night on Thursday 22 October.