Letter from Warsaw, a musical co-authored by the renowned American trumpeter, jazzman and composer Gary Guthman, and the Polish playwright Doman Nowakowski premiered to a sold-out audience on November 24 at the Basen Artystyczny of the Warsaw Chamber Opera. The musical featured original scores expertly composed and flawlessly performed by Guthman’s orchestra and the main cast of characters. Letter from Warsaw tells the emotional story of a family of American Jews that rediscovers their Polish-Jewish roots in Poland. The central theme of the musical is Polish-Jewish relations and the biases, stereotypes and difficult experiences from the past that continue to influence perspectives and relations to this day. The musical’s message — understanding, respect, and acceptance of others — is universal and as relevant today as during the darkness of the Holocaust. Letter from Warsaw also alludes to the Poland of courageous and welcoming people, and Poland’s rich historical and cultural legacy that for 500 years was called the Paradiso Judeorum (Jewish Paradise) and where Jews were able to enjoy relative freedom and their own unique culture. The U.S. Embassy is a proud supporter of the musical, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s worldwide mission to promote mutual understanding, inclusion, and diversity – and to foster constructive dialogue among those with divergent perspectives regarding the Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations today. Counselor for Public Affairs Frank Finver addressed the audience at the premiere, highlighting that “The U.S. Embassy is proud to support this unique production and innovative vehicle for presenting the complicated and emotional issues of the Holocaust that are still with us today,” and “If the Letter from Warsaw provokes greater thought and better understanding of these persistent issues, it will have accomplished its mission.” Both the U.S. Embassy and Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage supported the production, which the otoKultura.org Foundation coordinated. Officials attending the opening of the musical included Ambassador Jacek Chodorowicz, Special Envoy for Relations with the Jewish Diaspora from Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Maxymilian Bylicki, Director of the Institute of Music and Dance. The historian, Holocaust survivor, and Chairman of the Museum Council for POLIN Museum Marian Turski also attended, as did Professor Paweł Śpiewak, Director of Jewish Historical Insitute. For more information on the musical, please consult the website: https://www.listzwarszawy.pl/
The Letter from Warsaw
PRODUCTION
Music and Lyrics – GARY GUTHMAN
Book – DOMAN NOWAKOWSKI / GARY GUTHMAN
Lyric Translations – DOMAN NOWAKOWSKI
Director and Lighting – NATALIA KOZŁOWSKA
Set and Costumes Design – PAULINA CZERNEK
Choreography – BARTOSZ FIGURSKI
Costume Collaboration Designer – ANNA PUCHALSKA
Vocal Coach – AGNIESZKA HEKIERT
Assistant to the Director – MAGADALENA MAŁECKA
Make-up – ANNA SAWICKA
Poster Design – ANDRZEJ PĄGOWSKI
Stage Manager– URSZULA HAJDUKIEWICZ
Project Assistant – MONIKA WINIARSKA
Producer – Fundacja otoKultura.org
– SEBASTIAN KAZUBSKI/ ADRIAN NOWAKOWSKI
Lighting – WOJCIECH ŁYSIK
Sound – SZYMON MONTEWKA
Technical Director – WOJCIECH ŁYSIK
CAST
Granny Sara – AGNIESZKA KUROWSKA
(Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor)
Hannah – IZABELLA BUKOWSKA
(Sara’s daughter born in Warsaw 1944)
Abey – PIOTR BAJTLIK
(Hannah’s son born in Brooklyn NY 1970)
Director – DAREK KORDEK
(Theatre artistic director in Warsaw)
Alice – SASHA STRUNIN
(Theatre director’s daughter)
Misha – PIOTR CYRWUS
(Theatre building owner before the war)
Young Sara – MAŁGORZATA KOZŁOWSKA
(Warsaw Ghetto 1943)
Kazik – PRZEMYSŁAW NIEDZIELSKI
(Polish freedom fighter)
Marek – SŁAWOMIR MANDES
(Jewish Ghetto Uprising freedom fighter)
ORCHESTRA (CONDUCTED BY GARY GUTHMAN)
Piano – JEKATIERINA DRZEWIECKA
Keyboard – MATEUSZ KASZUBA
Keyboard – RAFAŁ ŁĘPA
Bass Guitar, Acoustic Bass – MATEUSZ DOBOSZ
Drums – PATRYK DOBOSZ
