'Fragments' Restores Lost Voice of Ealing's Maria Wierzbicka

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Extraordinary life of Polish writer and musician brought to the stage

Maria Wierzbicka at the piano in the 1940s

November 26, 2025

 The extraordinary life and rediscovered work of Maria Wierzbicka — a once-celebrated Polish writer and musician who lived in Ealing — will be brought to life in a new stage production this Thursday, 27 November, at the Polish Hearth Club (Ognisko Polskie) in South Kensington.

Titled Fragments, the play marks the 100th anniversary of Maria Wierzbicka’s birth, and offers audiences a rare glimpse into the creative legacy of a woman whose later years were marked by isolation, hoarding and tragedy — but whose early life was filled with artistic promise and cultural acclaim.

Born in Warsaw in 1925, Maria Wierzbicka arrived in London in 1945 as a refugee from war-torn Europe. She quickly became a rising star in Polish London’s cultural scene, performing in cabaret, composing music, and publishing poetry and short stories in émigré newspapers.

After moving to Ealing in 1971, she continued to write and compose while working full-time in administrative roles. But by the 1990s, Wierzbicka had become a recluse, her home on Meadvale Road filled with towering piles of newspapers, discarded objects and vermin. In January 2001, a fire devastated the property, destroying nearly all of her creative output. She refused to leave the house, even as rats nested in her piano. She died in 2009.

The production is the result of years of work by her son, Eddie Tulasiewicz, who uncovered damaged manuscripts, photocopied poems and even a cassette tape of his mother playing piano and reading poetry — found inside the very piano that once housed rats.

“This is a unique opportunity to discover the words and music of my mother, Maria Wierzbicka, which were thought to have vanished forever,” said Tulasiewicz. “2025 marks the centenary of her birth — what better tribute than to bring her work back to life.”

Maria Wierzbicka centre appearing on stage at The Polish Hearth Club (Ognisko Polskie) in the 1950s.

Fragments is directed by Luke Dixon and features original music by Pavel Imofeyesvky, a virtuoso pianist known to Ealing audiences for his performances at St Mary’s Church in Perivale. The cast includes Fiona Goldman, whose voice is familiar to millions from television and radio commercials.

Event details

• Date : Thursday 27 November 2025
• Time : 7.30pm
• Venue : Polish Hearth Club (Ognisko Polskie), 55 Princes Gate, London SW7 2PN
• Tickets : £20 (£10 for members), includes wine and cocktail snacks
• Booking : Online or email events@ogniskopolskie.org.uk

Supported by the Zygmunt Zaleski Foundation, Fragments promises to be a poignant and powerful tribute to a lost voice of Polish London.

 

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