The Diary of Anne Frank
by Gayle Bird, February 27, 2002
First published in What's Goin' On, February 28, 2002

My first reaction to UCCB's production of The Diary of Anne Frank was a completely involuntary one: "Holy set!" The thing is humongous, and nothing less than brilliant. Bruce Cathcart, who also plays Mr. Dussel, designed the set, and I must say he did an amazing job. The bulk of the stage is occupied by the common room which served as the kitchen, dining room and living room where the hideaways spend their time. Along either side of this room are tiny, upraised bedrooms, built up and cut away to suggest the slope of the ceilings.

I was fascinated with not just the set, but the props. An army of stagehands quietly swarmed the set between scenes, rearranging the rooms to effectively indicate the passage of time, and the changes in environment wrought by people living in it. The set is crammed with staircases, windows with blackout curtains, beds, nighttables, clothes, books, chairs, a couch, a stove, and yes, even a kitchen sink. It somewhat conveys how cramped the real annex must have been.

Speaking of which, I assume you know that the Secret Annex was real. The Diary of Anne Frank is the most widely read book in the entire world, no joke, so I'll focus on this production rather than the story. But for those of you who have it on their "Must Read" list, here's a short plot synopsis: eight Jewish people hide themselves away in a four-room loft in Amsterdam for two years during the second World War. The youngest, Anne, keeps a very detailed diary during this time, which is found and published after the annex is emptied. This play, written (beautifully) by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket, focuses on how the eight people react to each other and to the war when confined together like they are, and especially on how Anne deals with it all, and with growing up in this environment.

Aside from the writing, the technical considerations were remarkable, solving problems and creating moods with slides, lighting, music and voiceovers.

In between scenes, the lights go dark and we hear Anne writing/reading excerpts from her diary, while projected slides appear above the set: some actual photographs from the period, and some drawings, which according to the program were "created by children who survived horrendous and senseless persecution in Nazi Concentrations Camps." Knowing this, the seemingly innocent drawings and paintings became painful.

I really enjoyed the lighting. It was perfectly timed and positioned, and quite realistic. I think my favourite piece was the light of the moon simulated behind the skylight. One of the characters uses candlelight, in otherwise darkness, which was quite lovely and effective.

The music set a certain tone for the production. It was composed specifically for this play, and exquisitely so.

The acting was a treat. For a large part of the play, I actually forgot they were actors. Most of the cast was unknown to me, which always makes it easier to believe that they are the characters they're pretending to be. From the meek older sister and mother of Anne to the wild screams of their panicked guests, each actor did a superb job. The accent that some of the actors took on threw me for a loop, though. I wasn't sure whether I could buy it; however, when I try to think of what a German who was ostensibly speaking Dutch would sound like in English, my head explodes, so instead I figure that the slight accent is just enough to remind us that they're in Europe and not in Cape Breton.

Danielle MacKinnon, who plays Anne, simply blew me away. She portrayed Anne as compelling, feisty, sulky, and haughty - in other words, as a girl of 13, 14, and 15. Her journey through herself and the play is very real, and enchanting to watch.

Florence Chant, playing Edith Frank, was unfortunately slightly difficult to hear from my nosebleed seats (hey, what can I say, buy your tickets early!). The projection problem was regretful, because she was also a very good actor, who made me cry in empathy. (Let me take this opportunity to remind play-goers that even if the lights go down, it's not polite to chatter back and forth. Some people are trying to stay focused on the play, and if you're way in the back sometimes you're straining to hear).

I have to congratulate Jason Campbell on his direction. Because all the rooms were open, and the characters were constantly in view, he gave each of them different tasks to do when not directly included in the focus of the scene. Each actor stayed consistently in character within the constant bustle of the scenes; but even with all the background action, the main exchange was rarely thrown out of the spotlight by distraction elsewhere. Well done.

The tone of the play was surprisingly funny and upbeat, for the most part. I even had several belly laughs, and a few lines gave me giggles, which I then had to suppress in order to hear the next lines. Utter panic and tension also play a factor, of course, and rightly so.

As lighthearted and enjoyable as it was, there's a block of silence with a certain slide near the end of the play which, if the subject of the play itself doesn't, could sober even the giggliest. This play, and that silence, puts a face on the reality of war, which in these times is something we could all use.

The Diary of Anne Frank is playing until Sunday, March 3, starting at 8pm. I suspect this will be a popular destination this weekend, so call the Boardmore and get your seats now!