The Diary of Anne Frank

It's been over 60 years since the Franks, the van Pels, and Fritz Pfeffer were discovered by the Nazis in the attic of an office building annex in Amsterdam—a handful of Jews out of the six million that were murdered—yet their story lives on in the diary of the youngest of the group, Anne Frank.

In the two years that the eight victims lived together, Anne developed from an adolescent of thirteen to a young woman of fifteen. Her diary, however, is the work of a soul mature beyond her years.

Aya Cash as Anne Frank Photo credit: Terry Shapiro

The stage adaptation by Wendy Kesselman, currently in production by the Denver Center Theatre Company, is remarkable for its lack of sentimentality (though the story has been fine-tuned for dramatic effect). Ironically, this is the source of its power. The reason is simple: by making Anne and her housemates-in-hiding everyday people, rather than symbols, the immensity of the tragedy is multiplied a million fold.

Each member of director Paul Mason Barnes' cast brings impressive depth and complexity to the proceedings. Aya Cash captures Anne's rare gift: youthful optimism and intellectual substance. In John Hutton's Otto Frank (Anne's father), we see the wisdom and compassion that is the source of Anne's precociousness.

(Left to right) Danielle Slavick as Margot Frank, John Hutton as Mr. Frank and Aya Cash as Anne Frank Photo credit: Terry Shapiro

It's easy to understand Anne's devotion to her sister via Danielle Slavick's Margot Frank, an introverted yet radiant young woman. Anna's difficult relationship with her mother avoids black and white characterization with the elusive insecurities that underly Deirdre Madigan's edgy (Mrs.) Edith Frank.

Leslie O’Carroll as Mrs Van Daan Photo credit: Terry Shapiro

The nagging polarization within the Frank family is amplified by their interactions with the Van Daan's (the real-life van Pels). Hypersentive son, Peter—a quirky, winsome Bob Braswell—is embarrassed by his parent's noisy arguments. Leslie O'Carroll reveals the bitter harvest of (Mrs.) Petronella Van Daan's plight, yet retains our sympathies with her underlying warmth. (Mr.) Hermannn Van Daan is stretched to the breaking point in Sam Gregory's wrenching portrayal.

Philip Pleasants as Mr. Dussel Photo credit: Terry Shapiro

The odd man out in the crowded attic is the dentist Albert Dussel (the real-life Fritz Pfeffer), whom Philip Pleasants draws enigmatically as a kindly but festidious old gent.

The group is tended to by a few trustworthy former employees of Mr. Frank, including Miep Gies and Mr. Kraler, who in a few brief appearances by Elgin Kelley and Eric Sandvold, underscore the compassion and stoicism of the Dutch resistance.

John Hutton as Mr. Frank Photo credit: Terry Shapiro

Through its lens of unapologetic honesty, The Diary of Anne Frank magnifies a simple tragedy into a one of monumental proportions, yet it offers us a sustaining glimmer of hope in the diary' survival and its witness to one small facet of the Holocaust. The Denver Center Theatre Company's finely drawn production is a prayerful honoring of this tragic episode in human history. It runs through December 15th. 303-893-4100.

Bob Bows