The Pianist

The Pianist opens at Mayflower Studios on Wednesday 9 September, running through to Saturday 12 September. It's a musical adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman's memoir, the same story that inspired Roman Polanski's Oscar-winning film, and this is its world stage premiere. Daniel Krikler takes the lead as Szpilman, with Thom Southerland directing.

The music is where this version really stands apart. For the first time, Szpilman's own compositions — he was known as the 'Polish Gershwin' — are heard on a major stage outside Poland. Simon Lee, Andrew Lloyd Webber's long-time musical director, has handled the orchestrations, and the lyrics come from an international team including Carol Connors, David Batteau, Wendy Lands, Jim Gillard, Grammy nominee Michael Ruff, Szpilman's son Andreas Szpilman, and Marcy Heisler. On stage, an ensemble of eleven actor-musicians double up, playing more than fifty characters and a symphonic range of instruments to carry the story from pre-war Warsaw through the war years.

It's a fully staged production this time around, following a semi-staged workshop created with Wolk Transfer Company at Mayflower Studios back in April 2025. This run is the full version, being put on here in preparation for an off-West End run in London in the winter of 2026. The creative team includes choreography by Karen Bruce and set and video design by Andrzej Goulding.

Tickets start from £19.50, with discounts available. It's recommended for ages 11 and over, under-2s aren't allowed, and it contains sensitive themes around the Holocaust. You'll find it in Studio 1 at Mayflower Studios, Above Bar Street, Southampton, SO14 7DU, from Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 September.