The Pianist Of Willesden Lane Archives

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016: Alexa Terry

Alexa Terry28th December 2016 Critic Round Ups, Off West End, Reviews, West End

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Alexa Terry replied with the following:- The Pianist of Willesden Lane Often, I find myself leaving the theatre with tear-streaked cheeks and puffy eyes. But, I was not prepared for the sobs that engulfed me, as I watched Mona Golabek’s The Pianist of Willesden Lane’ – a true story of how Lisa Jura, Golabek’s mother, was sent to Great Britain on the Kinderstransport and became a concert pianist. Overwhelming, powerful and hauntingly current, this is undoubtedly, one of the best and most moving pieces of theatre I have experienced. Vanities ‘Vanities’ completely provoked my emotions as I laughed out loud, had my heartstrings plucked and tried to cough away the lumps in my throat (I will get a reputation for being a cry-baby if I’m not careful!). With a satisfying score … Read more

REVIEW: The Pianist Of Willesden Lane, St James Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭

Alexa Terry16th September 2016 Reviews, West End

Book tickets for The Pianist Of Willesden Lane at St James Theatre

The piece is told beautifully and simply, with no added spectacle or illusion: just one woman, her piano and a story – and I was holding on to every word and every note. I expected scattered sniffs and the rustling of tissues, but it was between Golabek’s performance of Beethoven’s Sonata ‘Moonlight’ and Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’ where I surrendered to the army of stomach knots and the choking lump in my throat and sobbed – the shoulder-bobbing kind.