Pianist of Willesden Lane NY Theater Review

Accompanying herself with the theatricality of classical piano pieces, Mona Golabek’s one-woman memoir tells the arresting story of 14-year-old piano prodigy, Lisa Jura. In 1938, Lisa is forced to leave the security of her family in Vienna as Nazi occupation and anti-Jewish laws loom dangerously close. An accomplished pianist, Golabek’s The Pianist of Willesden Lane, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, is a gripping story and glorious musicianship that holds the packed 59E59 Theater audience riveted for 90 minutes. Lisa Jura was Mona Golabek’s mother. The play is adapted from the 2002 book, The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival (written by Golabek with Lee Cohen). Staging by Trevor Hay and Hershey Felder sets an elegant mood with large gold frames against a black backdrop, displaying photos and paintings relating to the plot. In the center, on a gold rimmed dais, is a Steinway concert grand piano, gleaming under a spotlight. In front of the piano, Golabek, wearing a red wig, tells Lisa’s tale and then sits at the keyboard to perform selections that highlight the flow of emotions — the theatricality of Rachmaninoff, a meditative Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, and of course, Grieg. These elevate the story with beauty and emotion.