The Diary of Anne Frank

Dale Lisa Flint (as Mrs. Frank), Maddy Wood (as Anne Frank)
and Eric Wheeler (as Mr. Van Daan) perform in
Sacramento Theatre Company's “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Charr Crail Photography/Courtesy photo

When Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl in Amsterdam, received a diary on her 13th birthday, she dreamed of one day becoming a writer.

Given that her famous diary has been translated into more than 70 languages, published in more than 60 countries and sold more than 35 million copies, her dream was achieved beyond her wildest expectations! Her diary appears on lists of the bestselling books of all times.

A play, dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, opened on Broadway in 1955, ran 717 performances and won several Tony Awards, including one for Best Play.

Now, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Anne’s receipt of the diary, the Sacramento Theatre Company is presenting an outstanding version of the story of eight Jewish people hiding in a secluded room for more than two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

The production, directed by Casey McClellan, boasts a stellar cast, starting with Olivia Ingram as Anne (she shares this role with Maddy Wood). Ingram is perfect as the irrepressible young girl whose spirit cannot be dampened despite the circumstances of their claustrophobic incarceration.

During her time in the room, she works through problems with her mother, a first love and irritation with the other occupants, but keeps her positive attitude: “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains,” and “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart.”

Michael Jenkinson is Anne’s father, Otto Frank, whose job it is to keep the peace among the disparate group forced to live together.

Mrs. Frank (Dale Lisa Flint) struggles with her relationship with Anne, and she is in charge of keeping the room running smoothly.

Kate Brugger is Anne’s older sister, Margot, quiet and shy. Brugger shares this role with Paige Johnson.

Otto’s business partner, Mr. van Daan (Eric Wheeler), joins the Franks with his wife (Natasha Hause) and son Peter (Nick Leras, sharing the role with Owen Larson). Mr. van Daan is perpetually hungry and tends to steal the small amounts of food the group has. His wife’s dearest possession is her fur coat, which she eventually must sell.

Peter is painfully shy to begin with and spends most of his time in his room with his cat (who must be the best cat in the world, since he lives in a small bucket without complaint!).

A late addition to the room is the dentist, Mr. Dussell (STC favorite Gary Martinez), arriving to spend a day or two, but staying for the duration. Dussell is persnickety and acerbic, allergic to the cat and resentful of having to share a room with Anne. Martinez is reminiscent of Leo G. Carroll.

Frank’s employee, Miep Gies (Kirsten Myers), and Mr. Kraler (William Oberholtzer) keep the secret identities hidden and bring supplies and news of the outside to the group weekly.

While this is a dark, depressing story, it is not without its lighter moments. There is a lovely Hanukkah celebration, where Anne reveals that she has made gifts for everyone, and the joy at hearing of the invasion of Normandy, which brings promise that their incarceration soon may be over.
But in the close quarters, nerves fray and little irritations take on greater significance, and though the audience knows how the story ends, the discovery of the hidden room by the Nazi soldiers is still heart-rending.

Anne died of typhus at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but because Miep Gies saved her writings, Anne’s father, the only survivor of the group, was able to put her diary into shape to be published.

Anne’s message resonates with all of us today, as we look at all the problems we see around us: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Diary of Anne Frank

 

It is ironic that the Woodland Opera House is presenting “The Diary of Anne Frank” at a time when our government is rounding up illegal immigrants and putting them in detention centers and there is such controversy over refugees seeking asylum in this country.

Frank’s family tried to escape the Nazis by coming to the United States, but that opportunity was blocked by the government, fearful of allowing Nazi spies into the country,

We know, of course, that Anne died of typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Her dream had been to become a famous writer, and her diary has been translated into more than 60 languages and is perhaps one of the most famous books in the world.

The current production, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman and directed by Dean Shellenberger, is a beautiful tribute to Anne Frank and to her family and their years hiding from the Nazis in the secret annex above Otto Frank’s office.

Rachel Trauner (Anne) has been part of the Opera House’s “Broadway Bound” program for several years, though she has appeared in only two musicals before, says her mother, who sat in front of us for this show.

Taking on such a huge role must have been daunting, but she brought Anne to life beautifully, the spirited 13-year-old who grows into a thoughtful teenager during her two years of concealment. She is mischievous, serious and thoughtful, and the real spark — and sometimes bane —of the family.
Set designer Don Zastoupil has created the claustrophobic world where eight desperate Jews hid for two years, keeping silent during the day and daring to “live” at night. Watching the eight practically climb over each other, with never any “alone time,” one gets a sense of what it must have been like as the group dealt with hope and fear at the same time, sometimes allowing themselves to laugh, often grieving the life they left behind.

Jessica Hanselman plays Miep Gies, an employee of Otto Frank, who was one of the handful of citizens whose assistance was vital to keeping the group alive. Hanselman gives Gies a gentle, sensitive portrayal though occasionally her projection lacked oomph.

Colin Coate plays Mr. Kraier, who assists Gies in bringing food and news to the extended family.
Otto Frank is played by Steve Mackay, the guiding hand and often calming influence on the others. Otto was the only survivor of the group, and the one responsible for bringing Anne’s diary, saved by Gies after their ultimate capture, to the world.

Analise Langford-Clark is his wife, normally another steadying influence but occasionally the pressure gets to her, too.

Gil and Lenore Sebastian play Mr. and Mrs. VanDaan, trying to hang on to their upper-crust lifestyle, while Mr. VanDaan deals with insatiable hunger and Mrs. VanDaan can’t bear to give up her fur coat, the last remnant of her former life, even if it means more food.

As Anne’s sister, Margot, Sammy Caiola is the epitome of a nerdy teenager who is slowly disappearing into her self as the conditions of their self-imposed incarceration become more overwhelming.

Mr. Dussel (Paul Fern) is a late addition to the group, a grumpy dentist who is the most troublesome, as he complains about everything and causes more conflict than perhaps anyone else, with the possible exception of Mr. VanDaan.

Hayden Taillon has the small role of Peter VanDaan, whose role in Anne’s diary was much larger, but Taillon plays the young man as a friend of Anne and a referee of his parents’ many quarrels.

Through Anne’s diary, this band of people have come to represent the millions who either survived or died during the Holocaust. In spite of it all, Anne never lost her optimism and perhaps her famous quote — “… in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart” — is something we desperately need to keep in mind these days.