'The Pianist' review — this affecting show pays tribute to an extraordinary Polish Jewish musician

Read our review of The Pianist, adapted by Thom Southerland, now in performances at the Park Theatre to 28 November.

Summary

• New play The Pianist premieres at the Park Theatre
• The show is inspired by the life of Polish Jewish musician Władysław Szpilman
• The use of music in Thom Southerland's show is very effective
• Daniel Krikler play Szpilman as a sensitive and loyal soul

The early life and career of Polish Jewish pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman was documented in his post-Holocaust 1946 memoir which became a triple Oscar-winning film in 2004. Director and adaptor Thom Southerland now brings the story to the stage as a chamber musical/play with music. It’s a piece that could hardly not be affecting, with its sepia-tinted depiction of old world Jewry and bohemianism that are accompanied by Szpilman’s own compositions, but it’s not as confronting as the subject matter deserves.

The layers of memory unfold through description, which can get wearying and lacks urgency. Played by Daniel Krikler, Szpilman (whose name means musician) studied with a direct disciple of Liszt and was equally at home in concert halls and cafes. As he becomes successful, he rents a large apartment and has his parents, brother, and two sisters – all proficient musicians – move in with him. It’s always a pleasure to see a family who like each other and the spirited ensemble of actor-musicians convey a palpable sense of a close-knit family unit with an unbreakable bond.

The music is where the piece succeeds in showing rather than telling. Szpilman was hailed as the “Polish Gershwin” and there are possibly also hints of Jerome Kern and Noël Coward in a romantic mood. It showcases Szpilman’s range with a Klezmer-style opening number and the avant-garde piece “Life of the Machines” that rings in his ears as he’s in hiding. The most affecting songs are performed by the excellent Rosalind Ford as Mama, who sings “One More Time” as she struggles to hold things together and “Someday We Will Love Again” towards the end in ghostly form.

The first act charts the fall of the cultured city of Warsaw to Nazi rule. The family is initially able to stay in their apartment because it is located in the area designated for the Jewish population but their world shrinks. Nitai Levi is the firebrand brother Henryk and Elzbieta Kalicka and Melania Maggiore are a lovely pair as the sisters (though more could be done to differentiate them). TJ Holmes is also convincing as the cellist father who remains steadfastly in denial.

Krikler (impressive in Wendy and Peter Pan and Fiddler on the Roof) plays Szpilman as a sensitive and loyal soul, but has the tricky task of bringing to life a fixedly passive protagonist. Holocaust survivors certainly don’t owe us heroism, but he is always being rescued and moved around (and twice his life is saved by music-loving Nazis – it would feel contrived if it wasn’t true).

He remains physically dapper throughout and would benefit from some adjustments to costume and make-up to illustrate his physical deterioration. There is also a disconnect between Krikler and the piano itself and with the production’s actual pianist and musical director Malcolm Forbes-Peckham. If they were more of an intertwined unit, it might make Szpilman a more active player in his own story.

Andrzej Golding provides a handsomely understated design with bare boards, a baby grand that whirls around, and sliding doors at the back of the stage. There are several effectively lo-tech touches: when a bomb falls on the concert hall where Szpilman is playing, the debris is represented by a shower of sheet music, and a child kicked to death is represented by a red shawl.

It is clear that a huge amount of love has been invested in this production. If it could shed some of the politeness and go up an octave with greater attack in its staging and storytelling, it would be a truly compelling piece of theatre.

The Pianist is at the Park Theatre to 28 November. Book The Pianist tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: The Pianist (Photos by Rich Southgate)