[NEohioPAL] REVIEW: Diary of Anne Frank at Cleveland Public Theatre

[Laura Kennelly]

*The Diary of Anne Frank** @ The Cleveland Play House, October 21 --
November 19, 2017*

*Review by Laura Kennelly*


*It’s both painful and important to realize that The Diary of Anne Frank is
based on truth, not fiction. *Drawn from incidents described in young
Anne’s diary, this moving drama by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
(adapted by Wendy Kesselman), runs through November 19 at Playhouse Square.


*The Cleveland Play House production, directed by Laura Kepley, brilliantly
places us into Anne’s hidden life in Amsterdam during 1942-1944, a time
when Nazi forces sought out and killed millions of Jews throughout Europe
(as they had done from the beginning of World War II).* Anne’s diary, found
after her death, chronicled what happened when she and her family, as well
as another couple, their son, and a family friend spent two years hidden in
a secret upper floor.


*The claustrophobic possibilities of the intimate Outcalt Theatre’s stadium
seating draw us in and fine acting keeps us watching and hoping--against
all prior knowledge--that this time Anne and her attic family will escape.
They don’t. *


*The cast stays in character and onstage even during intermission*,
reading, mending, doing laundry, getting dental work done (one hopes not
really--looked painful), and napping, adding to the impression that one is
watching history happen.


*The audience sits on three sides, with those in the first row actually
seeming to be part of Anne’s household prison. *Much credit should be given
to scenic designer Robert Mark Morgan for creating an abstract, yet
realistic, upper room. Beds, clothes, kitchen, sink, tables all speak of
lives lived in poverty and fear. The audience is surrounded by barbed wire
and wooden beams, harsh reminders of prison and wartime. Lighting by Mary
Louise Geiger, costumes by David Kay Mickelsen, sound by Daniel Perelstein,
all contribute to the play’s somber mood.


*Anne Frank was only thirteen when she went into hiding*. Annie Fox, as
Anne, offers a spirited performance that makes it clear that in hiding or
not, Anne Frank is a lovably complex person, unsure about what to do with
her intellect (she dreams of being a journalist) or her budding sexual
maturity (early printed editions of the diary omitted her sexual curiosity
and her intermittent dislike of her older sister and her mother). Fox’s
passionate and volatile Anne at one point shouts “I have a better side.”


*She adores her father* (a kindly Rick D. Wasserman), shouts at her
stressed-out mother (a nervous yet generous Lise Bruneau), stomps around
the attic and is often impatient with her older sister (a steadfast Sarah
Cuneo). As time passes Anne develops a crush on fellow teen Peter Van Daan
(an obligingly polite Yaron Lotan). Lotan’s Peter is as naive as Anne and
their stolen moments in the upper room’s attic bring innocent joy to both.


*Others in hiding with them are Peter’s parents. *His mother cannot face
their new reality and clings to her luxurious fur coat (Laura Perrotta
convincingly conveys her as a woman on the edge). His father (a secretive
Bruce Winant) reveals serious character flaws. The family dentist, Mr.
Dussel (a fussy, grumpy Lee Wilkof ) also lives with them.


*The brave Miep Gies (an open and friendly Amy Fritsche) risks her life and
that of her family to smuggle food to the eight in the attic*. In addition,
it was she who preserved Anne’s diary. Other characters include “Mr.
Kraler” (a helpful Tom Woodward) who assists Miep Gies. (“Kraler” is a
pseudonym for Victor Kugler whose real name was not published in the
original diary.) Paul Bugallo, Randy Merrill, and Peter Hargrave play Nazi
enforcers, concentration camp guards (they guard us at one point), and nosy
neighbors.


Anne herself never knew that her simple diary would make her famous and
that millions would love her and mourn her loss. In her diary she wrote, “I
finally realized that I must do my schoolwork to keep from being ignorant,
to get on in life, to become a journalist, because that's what I want! I
know I can write ..., but it remains to be seen whether I really have
talent …”


*I think we can safely say “Yes.”*


*Bottom Line: A fine and moving production of what is now a classic. *
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