The Diary of Anne Frank  
The Diary of Anne Frank

Dramatised by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Directed by Lily Ann Green

January 26th - February 4th, 2006

The Tower Theatre performing at the Bridewell Theatre

 
Cast
Otto Frank : Ian Hoare
Miep Gies : Morgan Roth
Mr Kraler : Rowan Tafler
Mrs Van Daan : Maxine Howard
Mr Van Daan : Alyn Phillips-Green
Peter Van Daan : Joe Radcliffe
Margot Frank : Joanna Barrett-Constantanou
Edith Frank : Annemarie Fearnley
Anne Frank : Lucy Danser
Jan Dussel : Mark Macey
Production Team
Director : Lily Ann Green
Assistant Director : Naomi Liddle
Set Design : Jude Chalk
Construction Manager : Keith Syrett
Lighting Design : Jo Green
Sound Design : Peta Barker
Costume Design : Barrie Addenbrooke
Assisted by Sheila Burbidge

Stage Manager : Lorraine Terry
DSM : Eddie Coleman
ASMs : Martin Brady, Chris Paddon, Kate Fearnley
Lighting operator : Jacky Devitt
Sound operator : Chris Holmes
Properties : Lorraine Terry, Alyn Phillips-Green, Lily Ann Coleman and cast & crew

FRANK TALE OF A FAMILY IN HIDING
Review by Tom Foot from the Camden New Journal

The Diary of Anne Frank
- one of the best-selling books of all time - is the story of a young Jewish girl and her family who are forced into hiding by the Nazis during World War II. This adaptation of Anne Frank's diary for the stage, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize. The screen version won three Oscars and eight nominations. The Tower Theatre Company, in their new home the Bridewell Theatre, has done justice to the powerful script. It is cheap to draw the analogy, but the story of eight individuals confined to a small space reminded me of the Big Brother house.

Eight people confined in a small space unaware of the outside world. Bonds crack as a family and friends turn swiftly into individuals. They all suffer mental torture and sexual tension. The introvert shares a room with the extrovert. Morality disintegrates, showing a fine lie between self-control and self-indulgence. Mr Van Daan (Alyn Phillips-Green) scavenges for cigarettes, sells his wife's coat and steals food in the night, blaming the rats. Anne's father Otto Frank (Ian Hoare) - one of the shining lights of the admirable performances - concludes : "We don't need the Nazis to destroy us, we are destroying ourselves". The first half is actually quite light-hearted causing a few nervous laughs from the audience. The story is covered in a blanket of irony that mostly sterns farm the innocence of Anne Frank (Lucy Danser). The young girl misses her bike and best friend. Danser was excellent as the spiky young girl. From the moment she bounced onto stage, dancing on the bed, flicking through books, playing pranks, she breathed life into her desperate surroundings. Unlike her despairing housemates, Frank's naivety matures into optimism and hope. The intense relationship.between Anne and her father was a fitting tribute following Holocaust Memorial Day last week.