The Pianist
9 – 12 September 2026
Event details
The world stage premiere of The Pianist.
Based on Wladyslaw Szpilman‘s extraordinary internationally bestselling memoir, the inspiration behind Roman Polanski‘s Academy Award-winning film, this landmark new production, adapted and directed by the acclaimed Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), brings one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable true stories to the stage featuring Szpilman’s own music for the very first time.
Original compositions from the so-called “Polish Gershwin” score his story: popular songs that had Warsaw humming, compositions that made him a star, all given rich new life in orchestrations 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.
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.
Profound. Life-affirming. Unmissable.
Venue
Studio 1 — Mayflower Studios
Warnings
Contains sensitive themes around historical events including the Holocaust
About the actor
Daniel Krikler
Theatre credits include: Redcliffe (Southwark Playhouse); All Is But Fantasy (RSC); Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC, Barbican); Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park Open Air/Barbican West End Transfer); Austenland (Savoy Theatre); Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Donmar Warehouse); The Motive and the Cue (National Theatre Productions); The Book Thief (Leicester Curve); The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida Theatre); The Tempest (Guildford Shakespeare Company); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Fighting Irish (Belgrade Theatre); The Normal Heart (National Theatre); Pippin (Charing Cross Theatre); 4000 Miles (The Old Vic); Macbeth (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Present Laughter (The Old Vic); Unicorns, Almost (Bristol Old Vic); Homos, or Everyone in America (Finborough Theatre); Pink Mist (Bristol Old Vic/UK Tour); A Serious Case of the Fuckits (Central School of Speech and Drama); The Heresy of Love (Central School of Speech and Drama); Jersey Boys (UK Tour); Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre); Bare: A Pop Opera (Union Theatre); Loserville (Garrick Theatre & West Yorkshire Playhouse).
Film, television and radio credits include: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Universal); The Halcyon (Left Bank Pictures, ITV); The Hummingbird (BBC Radio 3); Unicorns, Almost (BBC Radio 3).
Further information
Discounts
Discounts are subject to availability and may be removed at any time.
Executive Membership £3 off one ticket on top two prices
Executive Plus Membership £3 off two tickets on top two prices
Student Special £5 off with valid student ID
Groups 10+ £5 off. Enquire now
School & Young People’s Groups 10+ £10 per ticket and one free supervisor ticket with every 10 purchased on Tue-Fri performances. Additional supervisors at full price. Enquire now
Creatives
Adaptor and director Thom Southerland
Arrangements, musical supervision and orchestrations Simon Lee
Choreographer and movement director Karen Bruce
Set and video designer Andrzej Goulding
Lighting designer Robbie Butler
Sound designer Gareth Tucker for Autograph Sound
Costume designer Jonathan Lipman
Musical director Malcolm Forbes-Peckham
Assistant director Josh Whatsize
Casting Ginny Schiller CDG
Casting assistant Ben Armstrong
Producer Wolk Transfer Company
Executive producer and general manager DEM Productions
