Hello Beautiful People,
“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.” – Anne Frank
In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
I never ceased to be amazed by the power of those words. The pain of those words. The beauty of those words. The wisdom of those words. I never cease to be inspired by such words. And by the courageous, bold, brave teenager – Anne Frank.
The Diary of Anne Frank opened on November 8th at Bay Street Theatre, as part of the theater’s Literature Live! Series. Literature Live! is a BOCES-approved Arts-in-Education program. Plays chosen are from standards-based literature and are supported with teacher-developed lesson plans and reference materials. All performances are 90 minutes and weekday shows are followed by a question and answer session, and for this particular production, the Q&A is with Werner Reich, a Holocaust survivor.
As always, I must commend and congratulate the entire cast – Sawyer Avery (Peter Van Daan), Keith Cornelius (Mr. Frank), Chloe Dirksen (Miep), Terrance Fiore (Mr. Dussel), Lydia Franco-Hodges (Mrs. Frank), Josh Gladstone (Mr. Van Daan), Jessica Mortellaro (Anne Frank), Kate Mueth (Mrs. Van Daan), Joe Pallister (Mr. Kraler) and Georgia Warner (Margot Frank). I’m struggling, right now, to find the words that will give you all even the slightest understanding about what they have created, for it was truly magnificent.
As always, I must talk about my favorite parts. I enjoyed the fact that the cast was able to find the light within the darkness. All drama, even the subject matters that deal with the gravest of topics, have bits of comedy woven within them. It’s important to find those as actors and artists, and it’s a breath of fresh air for the audience, as it helps to keep moving the story forward. I absolutely adored the set, designed by Gary Hygom. It was designed in a way where you could feel their suffocation, their cabin fever, their frustration – it was absolutely brilliant. The set, costume, and lighting designers clearly had a keen eye for detail, and I truly appreciated how Anne’s diary was not a simple notebook, but a red and white checkerd patterned diary, identical to the real thing. For me, I don’t know if it’d be fair to pick a favorite cast member, for they really gave the word ensemble a new meaning. This cast worked a symbiotic unit, and it was driven by the unending talent of Jessica Mortellaro and Keith Cornelius.
But, I suppose I am getting ahead of myself, as usual.
For those of you who are not familiar, The Diary of Anne Frank is a true story, about the life of Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who had to go into hiding during World War II to escape the Nazis. On her thirteenth birthday, her father gave her a diary, and while she was in hiding at Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, she wrote about her life. The daily ins and outs of what was going on inside the cramped apartment, inside her beautiful mind, and what she hoped for once they were free. Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending, as Anne and the others in hiding were discovered and deported to the concentration camps. Of the eight people in hiding only Anne’s father, Otto Frank, survives.
I knew this story before going to see this show. I am always shocked when I encounter students of mine who don’t know the story of Anne Frank. Bewildered, even.
I knew this story, and yet there are moments that still took my breath away. When Miep and Mr. Kraler first give Otto Anne’s journal at the top of the show, when Mrs. Frank finally stands up to Mr. Van Daan with a ferocity that would rival any lioness, and of course, when Anne tells Peter that in spite of everything, she still believes that people are good at heart. Oh, that gets me everytime.
I knew this story before going to see this show, and yet, I found myself still tearing up when the Frank Family, the Van Daan Family, and Mr. Dussel were discovered. I have heard this story countless times. I have taught this story in my own classroom, and yet, as I heard the sounds of the SS coming, and watched eight beautiful souls paralyzed with fear and dread, I found myself thinking, no, no, NO! And that, that raw, visceral, human connection to a story that I already knew, well it is attributed to this cast, the creative team, and the direction of Joe Minutillo. Yes, the director and I have the same last name. He is indeed my father. He is, without a doubt, my greatest teacher, and perhaps I am his greatest critic.
In a day and age when it seems that we are just eager to tear one another apart, here is a story that reminds us of the ramifications of such hate, a story inspires us through the unwavering goodness of Anne Frank, and a story that highlights that evil can only triumph when good people do nothing.
This is a phenomenal production. I’d urge you all to go see it.
Live, Love, Learn,