A Holocaust play of note

Here is an article by San Diego Jewish World’s regular reviewer Eric George Tauber.  Another of our writers, Rabbi Ben Kamin, who made a presentation prior to one of the performances also was moved to write a review, which is linked here.

By Eric George Tauber

SAN DIEGO–If you love to take in a rich blend of theatre and classical music, then you already know the name Hershey Felder for his solo tour de force portrayals: “George Gershwin Alone”, “Monsieur Chopin”, “Beethoven, As I Knew Him” and “Maestro: Leonard Bernstein.”  But this time, he has taken a step behind the scenes to direct Mona Golabek in the story of her mother, Lisa Jura in The Pianist of Willesden Lane.

In the 1920’s, Vienna, Austria was the “City of Dreams,” Europe’s capital of art and music.  The ambition of young piano prodigy Lisa Jura was to give a concert in that great concert hall, Musikverein.  Her description of the city is beautifully poetic as she could “hear” the music of Mozart and Mahler in her cobblestone streets.

Then, one day in 1938, everything changed. “Mahler Street” had been renamed.  Her piano teacher could no longer instruct her as the teaching of Jewish children had become illegal under the Nazi regime. Unable to look her in the eye, he quietly wished he were a braver man.

Moreover, Jewish-owned businesses were shut down. In desperation, Lisa’s father played poker to put food on the table.

But there was a way out of this madness.  In the U.K., Jewish and Quaker activists successfully campaigned for the temporary admission of up to 10,000 children.  Desperate parents surrendered their children to strangers in a foreign land and prayed for their survival.

Tickets on the Kindertransport were priceless.  Winning a single ticket, her parents had the heartbreaking “Sophie’s choice” of which daughter to save.  Her family promised to follow when they could … if they could.

Lisa Jura made it to London just in time for the “Blitz” in which the Luftwaffe dropped 100 tons of bombs on London.  In spite of their best efforts –imposing strict curfews and hanging black curtains in windows- almost no city block was left untouched.  In this setting, Lisa came of age, growing up far too quickly.

Mona Golabek plays the piano as she narrates the story.  Her playing is soulfully expressive. She transforms the keys into a sewing machine and even a bombing raid.  We feel every mood with her.  What she lacks in acting skill, she makes up for through the music.  And the story itself is compelling enough to hold our interest.

The set by co-designers Meghan Maiya, Emma Hay and Jordan Hay is elegant in its simplicity.  A single Steinway grand piano sits on a black dais encircled by gold-painted garland and gold tassels.  Large picture frames hang upstage bearing the ever-shifting images by Andrew Wilder and Greg Sowizdrzal, pulling us into that place and time.

All who have ears, let them hear this touching tale beautifully told.  I hope this play gets another life as a radio play to reach a wider audience.  As the generation of Holocaust survivors fades into history, their stories need to be told over and over so that we truly never forget.

The Pianist of Willesden Lane” plays at the Lyceum Theatre Sept 3-28, 2014.

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Eric George Tauber is a San Diego-based freelance writer who specializes in coverage of the arts.  He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com