Playing the Part

Stepping onto the stage to perform a one-woman show in your first-ever theatrical acting experience might seem to be sheer folly. But for Mona Golabek – starring in The Pianist of Willesden Lane which makes its Santa Barbara debut at Ensemble Theatre from February 2-18 – it is an opportunity to share her family’s story; not a step toward stage stardom, more of a passion project than an ego trip. 

Set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg, Willesden Lane is an account of what actually happened to Lisa Jura, a child piano prodigy in Austria who came to England as a refugee in the Kindertransport rescue operation while most of the rest of the family went to the concentration camps. Golabek, a Grammy-nominated pianist, is Jura’s daughter, and the play is an adaptation of her own book, The Children of Willesden Lane. 

Golabek performs selections from Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff as she shares her mother’s riveting story of survival, a show that hinges on hope and the life-affirming power of music. 

The inspiration to write the book came right after Golabek played Grieg’s piano concerto in concert for the first time, the piece her mother had always dreamed of performing for her debut.

“I woke up the next morning and I started to remember the stories that she told me when she taught me the piano as a little girl,” Golabek recalled. “She always said that each piece of music tells a story. I realized that there were incredible messages in her story that I should share with the world. I didn’t have any idea how to, but I had a fire in my heart.”

The book became a bestseller and was quickly discovered by educators and young readers who found the story of fighting for your dreams through dark times, prejudice and unspeakable loss, Golabek said. Soon, she started doing reading programs and created a foundation. Eventually, Golabek connected with Hershey Felder – a theatrical Renaissance man whose own one-man shows include George Gershwin Alone, Monsieur Chopin, Beethoven, and Maestro. Felder adapted the book for the stage and directed myriad productions over the last dozen years. Critics have raved about Willesden Lane, while audience members are invariably moved, often experiencing deep emotions by the end of the 90-minute performance. 

As the years roll by, Golabek’s connection to the material and the message deepens, giving more poignancy to the performances and further embodiment of the message. 

“The more that I delve into it, the more I realized maybe I was trying to heal my parents’ pain, or my own generational trauma,” she said. “From what my parents told me, I’ve felt like there were six million numbers etched on my heart. Maybe it was predestined, preordained; but it has become the passion of my life to share this story.”

Which is why Golabek has eschewed her piano performing career, instead focusing on the show and, even more, the foundation that reaches many thousands of children with whom to share the story and provide a message of perseverance and uplift. 

“This is what I am meant to do,” she said.