There's a scene in "The Diary of Anne Frank" where a near-starving Mr. Van Daan rises in the middle of the night to pilfer a piece of stale bread from the group's make-shift kitchen. When he is caught in the act, a normally kind and patient Mrs. Frank explodes in fury, accusing him of stealing food from the "children's mouths." With cruel finality she demands Van Daan be expelled from their third- floor hiding place.
The resulting quarrel between the families, as well as Mr. Frank's pleading for his wife to reconsider her decision, is painful to watch, particularly when seconds later Miep, a non-Jewish worker who is helping the two families hide from the Nazis, enters the room with news of the Allied invasion. It is glorious news that hammers reason home with astonishing abruptness. Mr. Van Daan, suddenly realizing the nature of his selfish act, bursts into tears, chiding himself for his weakness, begging forgiveness of the others. Mrs. Frank sobs uncontrollably over her rash, possibly deadly decision to banish Van Daan.This one scene, near the end of the play, is so real, so true-to-life that it shatters our altruistic self-perception: We would have done the same things under the same circumstances. We would have stolen the food, demanded harsh judgment, then cried uncontrollably at our monstrous acts.
Pioneer Theatre Company's "The Diary of Anne Frank," while definitely laden with taut drama, is also full of humor and scenes of such tenderness one is left overwhelmed by the balancing skill of the writers, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett.
Anne, portrayed with pre-pubescent, exasperating buoyancy by Karen Sabo, is the center of the play, around which every character and the story revolves. Her battles with the Van Daans and Mr. Dussel make for many of the humorous moments in the play. Anne's frankness (no pun intended) is what makes her character so engaging. While the others, grownups, continue to act pleasant and guarded, Anne tells everyone what she thinks either vocally or in her diary, which the audience is allowed to hear in voice-over.
Peter Van Daan, played by Danny Strauss with low self-esteem nervousness, has several scene-stealing moments with Anne in his bedroom: The two young people have finally discovered and admitted their attraction to each other and get together in Peter's room, much to the chagrin of all the parents. Their moments of self-discovery through each other's eyes are comical and poignant. Waiting for the kiss to finally happen is one of the best scenes in the play.
The relationship between Mr. Van Daan, played by Charles Antalosky, and Mrs. Van Daan, played by Barbara Spiegel, is so fleshed out that one watches the disintegration and token reconstruction with great interest.
Margot Frank, Anne's older sister, played with imperturbable kindness by Theresa Ravnikar, moves through the play attempting to anchor the drifting emotions of everyone. Her eventual sinking into the morass of animalistic behavior is saddening but honest.
Mr. Dussel, played exceptionally by Jack Axelrod, is both comical and pitiful. He can be the voice of reason one moment and the source of a fierce argument the next.
Miep (Christy Summerhays) and Mr. Kraler (Richard Mathews) are the two who hide the Jewish families from the Nazis. Both Summerhays and Mathews are excellent in their roles.
Mr. Frank, performed by Jack Aaron with dignity and strength, is the only one in the group to remain strong. In the end, when the Nazis come, he helps the others prepare for capture with dignity.
Mrs. Frank, played with sincerity and authenticity by Lori Wil-ner, is the character many will leave the theater crying for. In one scene, Anne wakes up from a nightmare and only wants her father to comfort her. This crushes Mrs. Frank. Her pain is so convincing that many patrons wept.
Scenery, costuming, lighting, hair and sound designs were by Gage Williams, Brenda Van der Wiel, Peter Willardson, Cynthia L. McCourt and James C. Swonger. The single-set design was effective with one exception: Those seated close to the front may have had trouble viewing the rear-projection screens.
- FORUM AND EXHIBIT: A free post-performance discussion is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27, when audience members and others are invited to join the actors and staff for a question-and-answer session.
Also of interest to those familiar with the story, there is a free touring exhibit currently open to the public in Provo. "Anne Frank - In the World: 1929-1945" can be seen from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays through March 6 at the historic Utah County Court House, 51 S. University Ave.