Daniel Krikler in The Pianist [Anthony Leary-White]

THOM Southerland’s new musical adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s memoir, The Pianist, the source of Roman Polanski’s award-winning film, may cover familiar ground but it’s enthralling drama.

Part of the appeal of this stage version is the virtuoso actor-musician ensemble, headed by a charismatic Daniel Krikler as Szpilman and Malcolm Forbes-Peckham, live pianist and musical director, as his alter ego. It’s a pairing that takes a bit of getting used to but adds texture to the story.

Known as the Polish Gershwin, Szpilman came from a family of musicians: his father (TJ Holmes) was a violinist and concertmaster, his mother (Rosalind Ford) a talented cellist, while his firebrand brother, Henryk (Nitai Levi), composed tangos. His sisters Regina (Elzbieta Kalica) and Halina (Melania Maggiore) are also part of the ensemble.

During the Second World War, Szpilman survived Nazi-occupied Warsaw while other Polish Jews, including his family, were loaded onto cattle trucks headed for Treblinka. There’s an excruciating moment, brilliantly dramatised, when he escapes.

The guilt haunted him for the rest of his life.

Initially he hides in the Ghetto, helped by friends. There he smuggles weapons for the resistance and witnesses acts of Nazi barbarity. When he moves further afield in the city, he is aided by a sympathetic German officer, Wilm Hosenfeld (Oliver Grant), transfixed as the emaciated pianist plays Chopin.

Andrzej Goulding’s versatile wooden set – dominated by a baby grand resting on a movable platform – and his imaginative video design immerse us in the action. Szpilman’s own music, arranged and orchestrated by Simon Lee, is played throughout.

Southerland’s compelling production illustrates how art can inspire both resilience and compassion.

Until November 28
parktheatre.co.uk/