Theater Report (The Diary of Anne Frank)

Posted: August 6th, 2013

The Diary of Anne Frank

Introduction

The Diary of Anne Frank is a play based on the book the Diary of a Young Girl which was a dramatization initially done by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. The first session was launched in 1955 in a production by Kermit Bloomgarden and directed by Garson Kanin. The play has received various awards such as the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was also nominated for Best Actress and Best Scenic Design. The play is based on Anne Frank’s diary that depicts the story of her family’s struggle as they go into exile in Nazi-occupied Holland because of the Jews persecution. The play was viewed at the Station Theatre in Urbana.

They are accommodated by two men, Krailer, the businessperson and his assistant, Miep in the attic of their business premises. In his hiding place, the Frank and Van Daans family hide and were later on joined by Dussel, the dentist. The story narrates how they try to live without arousing suspicion while waiting for Holland to be saved by the Allies. Within their small group, the survivors find time to celebrate Hanukkah in their small attic. The movie is presented from a teenagers’ point of view as she narrates the events that took place in their hideout, their relationships and other parallel events.

Weak points of the play

            The director made an error by introducing modern themes into the play that slightly distorted the overall presentation. The sexual themes that were exhibited by Natalie were not present in the earlier versions. The director also chose to use Otto Frank as the narrator that twisted the plot slightly. For book readers such as I, the new plots was unexpected and lowered my interest levels. The new script was also written to reflect the Jewish nature and complexity of Anne Frank as well as the tragedy in her life. The new script had instances where Anne Frank was expressing anger at her mother as well as the German government for causing them so much trouble.