Among the names associated with World War II, few have resonated quite like Anne Frank. Thanks to the posthumous release of her diary, she provides a story of humanity and empathy during a time of despair. Along with a group that included her family, she was forced to go into hiding as a Jew trying to evade persecution by the Nazis. While it’s true that the war serves as a backdrop for the story, it’s about a girl learning the formative experiences of youth from puberty to love. In the staged dramatic adaptation of the highly popular work, The Long Beach Playhouse brings immersion to the stage, making the audience feel like they’re there with her, uncertain about the rumblings outside while discovering intimately the value of kindness from those sacrificing their lives to keep The Franks alive.
A major reason that The Diary of Anne Frank works so successfully on the roundabout stage is because of the venue’s smallness. Everything feels claustrophobic, allowing it to feel like the viewer is witnessing Anne Frank (Vita Muccia) running around and staving off boredom and starvation. The staging helps the condensed space work to show the value of privacy and how even then there’s the risk of someone eavesdropping from the other side of a door. Everywhere there’s a sense of recognizability. Even if history limits many of these figures to victim stories, the smartest move is allowing everyone to be human. There’s comedy over unpleasant dinners and offhand remarks from grouchy roommates or rebellious teenagers. By the end of the show, the tragedy is more in the subtext. Most people will know how this story ends, but the abruptness with which it comes is a nerve-racking jolt breaking apart a moment of optimism.
Until that moment, it’s a quiet show. There’s an allowance for characters to merely exist and take part in traditions. The appreciation for the small gifts recontextualizes major holidays as being less about affluence and more about the people behind them. Even if certain character entrances may leave audiences temporarily concerned, there’s a warmth to the supporting cast. They may not be likable, but it’s more in the way that small idiosyncrasies slowly become irritating. At the end of the day, they’re all good people just trying to survive. By telling their stories, there’s a perfectly distilled view of the war from an unexpected perspective. While Anne Frank is someone who journals with a surprising amount of introspection, it’s the world around her that feels alive. It's the recognition that tragedy doesn’t always stop people from experiencing life. It may be frustrating, even devastating, but the underlying optimism of family and loved ones allows for a respite while it lasts.
Another thing that makes The Diary of Anne Frank a perfect work for The Long Beach Playhouse is its ability to create a sense of interiority. Because of its circular nature, even the back row feels like it’s stuck indoors, vulnerable to whatever happens outside the walls. Thanks to a top-notch sound system, this is produced with a mix of audio techniques. There’s a radio detailing news reports of the war. Later on, there’s even an impressively executed sound collage of bombs which may never be seen but can be felt in the audience’s subconscious. It does an excellent job of making the theater feel alive as if they’re trying to hold onto safety with the walls crumbling down. It creates tension, fear, and makes the whole story feel more substantial.
Credit should be given to the cast who manage to balance the difficult subject matter without ever losing a sense of these characters as real people. Muccia is great as Anne, managing to be overeager without diminishing the weight of her plight. Her father Otto (Rick Reischman), mother Edith (Andrea Stradling), and sister Margot (Lauren Velasco) come together to create an endearing dynamic. It’s one that occasionally falls into scenes of antagonism but is resolved in the ways that only families can. The lessons may seem slight, but they’re familiar to anyone who has been young and naïve. The only difference is that it’s tragically placed against WWII and a story that leaves behind a bittersweet finale.
Even if Anne Frank wasn’t the most accomplished figure of WWII, there is something enduring about her legacy because of what her diary symbolized. It was as much a study of history as it was a recognition of what it meant to be alive during the time, having to notice her world changing internally and externally in rapid succession. Even during the more unpleasant moments, there’s a longing for the days of prosperity. Whereas most could summarize this as a tragedy, it’s the comedy and pathos that creates a greater sense of purpose to telling this story. It’s recognizable, and the ability to create something subliminal in the setting allows for The Long Beach Playhouse to emphasize the value of live theater. It’s a history lesson and a reminder that intolerance isn’t a new thing. It’s been around and hopefully by sharing these stories peace can be obtainable. The ending may be a quiet and somber crescendo, but it still lands with necessary force. It’s a story that Otto Frank knows was worth telling, and thankfully his instincts were right. It may be full of heartache, but it’s also about family and a love that can withstand anything. There’s few things quite as essential all of these decades later.
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