After an acclaimed run in New York and at the Edinburgh Fringe, Dedication will be making its London debut at Marylebone Theatre on Wednesday 7th June – Saturday 24th June 2023.
Roger Peltzman’s one-man show explores his family’s tragic history, fleeing Nazi invasion in war-torn Europe.
Dedication is a deeply poetic recount of his family’s harrowing escape from Berlin to Brussels in 1933, centring on his Uncle Norbert, who was a brilliant pianist murdered in Auschwitz aged 21.
Peltzman said: “As survivors dwindle – the next generation must pick up the gauntlet.
“With Dedication I’m trying to share with audiences the history and lessons of the Holocaust – not to mention the legacy of trauma.
“By focusing on my family – and my passionate desire for connection– the vastness of the holocaust, and its legacy, becomes personal.”
By using projection, imagery, and musical performances of everything from blues to Chopin, Peltzman re-establishes a legacy for his family in this extraordinary yet relatable Holocaust story.
Dedication seeks to heal ancestral wounds and pay tribute to a past that has become present, telling the story of second-generation survival.
Peltzman is a pianist and teacher in New York City, as well as an actor, writer, theatre producer and film director.
He has played to sold out audiences at Carnegie Hall, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York’s cutting-edge venue—Le Poisson Rouge and various concert venues in Europe.
In 2018 he began writing his one-person show Dedication under the tutelage of renowned actor/director Austin Pendleton (Obie winning director).
Over the next three years Roger refined Dedication with input from famed Broadway director Seth Barrish, and in August of 2021, the play was staged and filmed in NYC.
The film version of the play was so well received that it was picked up for redistribution by Menemsha films and has been shown at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.
In August 2022 Dedication made its live theatre premier at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival — garnering 4-star reviews from critics and overwhelming response from audience members.
Joyce McMillan in The Scotsman gave the performance four stars: “Peltzman’s one-hour solo show is put together with such grace, beauty, and sorrow that it offers a richly rewarding and thoughtful experience.
“At key moments during the show, Peltzman takes to the grand piano on stage, and plays like an angel.”
Marylebone Theatre is a new cross-arts venue in London, a short walk from Baker Street, which produces its own work as well as receiving incoming companies.
Marylebone Theatre presents the best new writing alongside high quality dance, music and spoken word, carving out a special place on the London cultural scene as a beautiful and grand but intimate setting.
The theatre, originally known as Steiner Hall, has recently been refurbished as a versatile, state- of-the-art mid-size (212 seats) venue with a West End-sized stage.
The play’s run time is one hour and 10 minutes, and tickets are available from here.
