The Pianist - Park Theatre

Once in a while, a story shakes you so deeply that you can't help but feel a visceral connection to it. Based on the bestselling memoir by Władysław Szpilman, The Pianist recounts the extraordinary story of a musician whose life was quite literally saved by his art during the Second World War.

Szpilman came from an ordinary family of Polish musicians, but when they were forced into the Warsaw Ghetto because of their religion, they began fighting for survival on every street corner. Told through Szpilman's own voice, every detail and every note is more harrowing than the last. There is a line that keeps going around in my head - when Szpilman's father says that he is no hero, he is a normal man. And that is quite the point: that in the end, the ordinary person can be hit with the most cruel of injustices.

I have always believed that great art does three things: it tells a story, it makes you feel, and it teaches you something along the way. This show does all three. From the opening number, when Dan Krikler (Władysław Szpilman) stood over Malcolm Forbes-Peckham, who plays the piano throughout the show, and the first note sounded, I was sobbing.

Krikler brings a gentle, childlike innocence to the role, made all the more heartbreaking by the harsh reality of his character's life. His storytelling is unlike anything I have experienced. Every syllable is delivered with such purpose that their melodies are felt in the audience's very core.

The musical is performed by actor-musicians, a feat in itself. Watching the cast play instruments that obscure half their faces while acting and singing is astonishing. The score, arranged and orchestrated by Simon Lee, is far from easy. It is the kind of music that can captivate me in a single note, summoning emotions buried deep. Together with Thom Southerland, who directed the production and adapted the memoir, this team has created a masterpiece.

The design is equally stunning. The Park Theatre stage isn't grand, and that may be the point. There is no need for large sets: the lights, music and words do the work, and that is quite enough. For a story of such importance, especially in light of the current state of the world, it is vital that it be given space to live and breathe.

The piano is, fittingly, at the centre of the story, and so it takes centre stage. It is fixed to a platform that occasionally turns in slow circles, almost like a merry-go-round. It's a quietly poignant touch that echoes the childlike innocence Krikler gives Szpilman: a carousel is a symbol of childhood, and here it keeps turning while the world around him is torn apart.

Behind the piano, a large wooden backdrop opens to reveal a brick wall, along with other visual surprises I won't spoil here. The real skill of this production lies in conjuring so many different worlds with so little. Through Andrzej Goudling's set and video and Robbie Butler's lighting design, the story leaps from page to stage, and we can't help but feel personally affected.

The Pianist is not an easy evening, and it isn't meant to be. It asks you to sit with grief, and in return it offers something rarer: a reminder of what art can do when everything else has been taken away. I believe that I will be carrying this show with me for the rest of my life. A production that is this visceral deserves to be seen and remembered. Go, and bring tissues.

Production Value: 95%

Value for Money: 95%

Personal Enjoyment: 95%

Overall Score: 95% - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(5*)

(AD | Ticket gifted in exchange for an honest review)

Show Information

Venue: Park Theatre, London

Running Until: 28th November 2026

Run Time: Approximately 2h10 - with an interval of 20 minutes

Tickets can be purchased at this link