It’s the remarkable, true story of a young Jewish girl…a gifted musician…who was forced to leave her home because of the looming threat from Nazi Germany. That story became the acclaimed musical The Pianist of Willesden Lane, which is starting a three week run in Santa Barbara.
Mona Golabek tells her mother Lisa’s story of survival.
"When I was a little girl, my mom taught me the piano," said Golabek. "She told me the story of her life, and she always said each piece of music tells a story. I heard about her dream to be a great concert pianist, when she grew up in Vienna. Her heart was filled with this desire."
"But then, a darkness came in," said Golabek. "Her parents had to make this incredulous decision. They had three daughters. They had only one ticket for a rescue operation, the Kindertransport. (The Kindertransport was a hastily organized program to get Jewish children out of Germany, and other countries controlled by the Nazis, and to safety in foster homes in places like Great Britain.)"
"This is the story of my mother, who was chose, because she had her music. Her parents felt that this would give her the courage, and the strength, and the passion to face an uncertain future," said Golabek.
Golabeck said she is still inspired by the last words her grandparents said to her mother as she left Austria. “Hold onto your music, it will be your best friend," they told their daughter.
Golabek followed in her mother’s footsteps. She became a concert pianist. She was eventually inspired to tell her mother’s story, writing a book, The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond The Kindertransport; A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival.
The book focuses on how Golabek’s mother used her musical talents to inspire those around her, as they struggled with being foster kids in Great Britain, not knowing if their families in Europe were alive or dead.
Several years later, Golabek thought about how she might being the story to the theater, where its message of survival, and home might reach even more people. She asked stage legend Hershey Felder for advice. After he heard some of it, he decided he wanted to produce it as a show.
The Pianist of Willesden Lane opened in Los Angeles, and became a critically acclaimed global sensation.
Golabek talks about the production. "I become my mother," she said. "I take her journey, and the music provides the pathway, and allows us to put the narrative through."
With age catching up with many of the remaining Kindertransport and Holocaust survivors, she believes it's important to share these stories. Golabek has been working with Steve Speilber’s Shoah Foundation at USC, which works to document, and share survivors testimony. There’s a big focus on reaching children, to promote tolerance and understanding.
The Santa Barbara production of The Pianist of Willesden Lane has Thursday and Friday night previews, before opening Saturday night. The Ensemble Theatre Companypresentation runs through February 18 at Santa Barbara’s New Vic Theater
