Mona Golabek News

The Laguna Playouse will present a special return engagement of the One More Entertainment and Trevor Hay production of award-winning concert pianist Mona Golabek starring in the one-woman show, based on a true story, THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE. Adapted and directed by audience favorite Hershey Felder and based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen, this music-filled evening recounts the personal story of Ms. Golabek's mother in Nazi-occupied Europe. THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE will perform for one week only beginning Tuesday, June 24 through Sunday, June 29 at the Laguna Playhouse, Moulton Theatre, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. in Laguna Beach.

59E59 Theaters will launch the new 5A Season with the New York premiere of THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival (Grand Central Publishing, 2003) by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen. Produced by Geffen Playhouse in association with Eighty-Eight Entertainment and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE begins performances on Friday, July 11 for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 24. Opening Night is Tuesday, July 22 at 7 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM & 7 PM. Single tickets, which go one sale to 59E59 Members on May 19 and to the general public on May 27, are $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

This June award-winning actor and musician Hershey Felder returns to Berkeley Rep with his popular and critically acclaimed one-man show, Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. Last summer, Felder brought Bay Area audiences to their feet and even got them singing with George Gershwin Alone. Now the master entertainer and virtuoso pianist is back for a limited engagement about America's greatest musical legend. Conductor, composer, pianist, author, teacher, librettist, television star, and composer of West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and Wonderful Town, Bernstein pushed all boundaries to become the world's first serious musical media superstar. Felder combines first-person narrative with the compositions of Bernstein and others to draw us deeply into the maestro's fascinating life, a life filled with tragedy and triumph and…music. This special presentation plays only 22 performances on the intimate Thrust Stage. It previews on June 5, opens June 6, and plays through June 22.

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in Jack Lemmon Returns, a new play with music. The production opens on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.). Scroll down for some photos from the production!

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview tonight, May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

After a sold-out run in the Theatre's Thrust Stage last fall, Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly announces that The Pianist of Willesden Lane, starring internationally acclaimed pianist Mona Golabek, will make its off-Broadway debut at 59E59 Theaters July 7 - August 24, 2014. Golabek's unforgettable, musically infused performance was one of the biggest hits in the Theatre's history, selling out virtually all 52 performances of its originally scheduled engagement and all 29 performances of its extension. Its record-breaking run landed The Pianist of Willesden Lane as one of 10 shows in the last 25 years of the Theatre's history to draw more than 30,000 patrons. The Pianist of Willesden Laneis the 29th show the Theatre has helped send to New York in the last 27 years.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Cats' and 'Les Miserables' open in major suburban productions, a world premiere from Hershey Felder, a Chicago premiere from Pride Films And Plays, 'Carnival' spins, Harms and Scrofano feted, season announcements from Porchlight, Williams Street and Milwaukee Skylight, and more!

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

Hartford Stage will launch its second half-century this fall with a shimmering lineup - equal parts classics and premieres - including a nod to one of Hartford's most influential moments in world history and the awe-inspiring tale of a young girl, who survives the Nazis to become a world-class pianist.

59E59 Theaters, now celebrating 10 years of presenting ground-breaking theater in New York, is thrilled to announce the creation of the 5A Season, a new Theater A season of five tremendous new plays for New York theater lovers. The 5A Season also includes a new membership option expanding on 59E59's popular membership program.

Artistic Director Laura Kepley announces the lineup for the 99th consecutive season of Cleveland Play House, the first she has programmed. A classic American drama, a variety of new work including a world premiere, comedies and music highlight the 2014-15 Season. "The theme of our 99th season is Legacy," reflects Kepley. "Many of the stories this season involve a changing of the guard. As one era ends, a new, sometimes shaky, sometimes confident world sprouts up, the future of which might be doomed or might be glorious- but it will always be theatrically thrilling."

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces that The Pianist of Willesden Lane, starring internationally acclaimed pianist Mona Golabek, is extending for an additional four weeks due to resounding praise from audiences and critics alike.

Today Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced that award-winning actor and musician Hershey Felder will return to star inHershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro about the amazing life of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced The Pianist of Willesden Lane, a one-woman play starring internationally acclaimed pianist and storyteller Mona Golabek. Based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen, the play is set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg and tells the true story of Golabek's mother, Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician whose dreams are interrupted by the Nazi regime. In this poignant show, Golabek performs some of the world's most beautiful music live as she relates the real-life legacy of her mother's quest to survive.

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham will present their second special bonus offering of their 2013 season, the world premiere production of a new musical play, ROCKSTAR, featuring the music of Franz Liszt and others, written and performed by Hershey Felder and directed by Trevor Hay.

THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, starring internationally-acclaimed storyteller and pianist, Mona Golabek, which was recently extended due to popular demand through September 1, will host a special talk back discussion on Sunday, August 18 following with 3 p.m. performance. The talk back will feature a special guest appearance by Kindertransport survivor Ernst Heimann, member of the Speakers' Bureau at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. The production is adapted and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen. The Chicago premiere has received rave reviews and follows successful productions in Los Angeles and Boston.

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham will present their second special bonus offering of their 2013 season, the world premiere production of a new musical play, ROCKSTAR, featuring the music of Franz Liszt and others, written and performed by Hershey Felder and directed by Trevor Hay.

Today Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces that 16 young professionals - including seven California natives - have been awarded fellowships for the 2013-14 season. Each year, the brightest and best young minds from across the country are selected through a rigorous application process to take part in Berkeley Rep's Fellowship program. This prestigious training program provides hands-on practical experience with educational seminars that offers insight into the operation and inner workings of an award-winning theatre.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. ChiShakes' 'Shrek,' BIC in Millennium Park, the casts of 'Flashdance' and 'We Will Rock You,' outdoor movies in Chicago and Aurora, classical music in the theater, a new 'Into The Woods' and a farewell to a friend of the Mosh Pit.