Hawks & Reed Arts Center, Greenfield, MA
through October 26, 2019
by Shera Cohen
It might seem odd to think of the drama, “The Diary of Anne
Frank” as joyful, uplifting, and beautiful. The antithesis immediately comes to
mind; i.e. sad, horror, and ugliness in a world that permitted (and oftentimes
still permits) humanity to become inhumane.
The play depicts one extended family in the center of WWII,
literally in the middle of the war’s timeline in 1944 in The Netherlands, at
the midpoint of Europe’s west coast. The Franks represent a small group of
familiar Jews, multiplied thousands of times to equal the millions of Jews and
others deemed unsuitable to Nazi Germany as members of the human race. However,
“Anne Frank” is far more than a prototype of thousands of personal stories that
have and could have been written. Anne Frank’s account is true, as are the
people who live with her in a small attic hide away. The real Anne is the star
of her own play, as so much of the script is attained from her diary; profound
and serious at times, light and juvenile at other moments.
The producers and/or director have picked an exemplary
troupe of 10 actors, eight of who are crowded into four rooms on a proscenium
stage, as if sliced in half for the audience’s view. John Iverson’s set
components are as important as any one of the actors. Dark and dreary, cramped
and claustrophobic, Iverson has designed a replica of the actual site in 1944.
Samantha (Sammi) Choquette shines, even in the dramatic and
bleak moments. At the same time, she portrays a typical young teenager who
longs for fun and boys. Choquette creates a balance of coquettish schoolgirl
with a young woman who must grow up too fast due to her circumstances.
Choquette is pure joy to watch.
The leader of the family, in all ways secular and religious,
is Otto Frank. Frank Aronson gives Otto a soft and tempered exterior. At the
same time, the audience can envision the wheels ever spinning in Otto’s head,
as the burden of every moment of every day falls on him. Seemingly, without
trying, Aronson represents a wise and extremely caring father, husband, and
friend.
Director Keith Langsdale moves the many characters around
the multi-room set. In spite of the lack of doors from one room to another, it
is always clear where his characters are going and why.
Plays performed at Silverthorne Theater are worth seeking out.
