The Pianist musical to have world premiere this autumn

The world premiere of a new musical adaptation of The Pianist will play a limited run at the Mayflower Studios, Southampton this September, with further plans in place for the show.

Based on the memoir of Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, the musical features his compositions arranged for the stage by Simon Lee, with direction by Thom Southerland.

The production is performed by an ensemble of 11 actor-musicians who play multiple roles and a range of instruments, with Szpilman’s music heard on stage outside of Poland for the first time. The story follows his experiences in Warsaw before and during the Second World War, told through music and performance.

The musical was first developed as a workshop at Mayflower MAST Studios in April 2025. It will now be fully staged at Mayflower Studios later in September 2026 ahead of plans for a London run at an off-West End venue in winter 2026.

Tickets for the Mayflower Theatre engagement go on sale to the general public on Friday 30 January at 10am. The production is presented by Wolk Transfer Company.