"The Diary of Anne Frank" Triumphs

     If a play about a family’s heroism during the most trying of times appeals to you make a beaten path to The Wasatch Theatre Ventures production of the newly adapted “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett at the NoHo Arts Center in the NoHo Arts District through August 25th. 
     This is the story of Anne Frank, one of eight Dutch Jews hiding from the Nazis in a cramped storage attic in Amsterdam in World War II, and the diary that she kept which changed the world.
     This new adaptation by Wendy Kesselman speaks to a new generation.  But more importantly it is timeless and boundless.  It speaks to members of any race, religion or creed.  It is as human as a work of art can be, or should be. 
     Playwrights Goodrich and Hackett have let the voice of one girl speak for millions who could not speak for themselves.  They have allowed her to scream loud and wide the truths we all know and feel but for whatever reason are afraid to utter.
      Her sensitivity, humanity and sense of humor create a character, though in many ways autobiographical, that fills our pores and senses with a honesty unforgettable in both the time that she lived and judged by the authenticity of her words.
     Mark Belnick’s direction is spot-on.  Never does he allow the words to become more important than the characters or vice versa.  He helms this production without ego as he does not let his direction get in the way of the acting or the action of this sensitive, endearing and deeply felt story.
     Stand-outs in this perfectly cast production include Georgan George (Edith Frank) who through grief and anxiety shows more love and compassion than most actresses do bare.  
      Jessica Richards (Margot Frank) in a convincing, controlled, and, in the end, devastating performance that floored this critic. 
     Shelly Kurtz (Mr. Dussel) who portrays his character with wit, aplomb, depth and great humor.  
     Valerie Rose Lohman (Anne Frank) is exceptional in feeling, fancy, humor, bravery and form. Her performance is towering, genuine and spontaneous in emotion and determination. Rarely has a young actress (16) tackled such a mature role with the courage and sincerity of Lohman.
     But it is Jack Kandel (Otto Frank) who runs away with the play.  A child of Holocaust survivors, his portrayal is all-encompassing, and as dignified and realistic as that of any actor this critic has seen this year on stage in North Hollywood or Los Angeles.
     Kandel simply wraps his character in a warm blanket of strawberries and love, and does not show his true feelings until the last memorable moments of the play, where tears streaming down both cheeks, we learn the true meaning of suffering and man’s inhumanity to man.  

     All in all, “The Diary of Anne Frank” is a mesmerizing, thoroughly absorbing and flawlessly acted triumph.  In its struggle to overcome overwhelming adversity, grief and paranoia through understanding, maturity and co-existence, it underscores the human experience and the division between our circumstances and dreams.  No piece of art ever written exemplifies the need to survive as well as this play.      
     By Radomir Luza
Saturdays at 8pm; Sunday Matinees at 2pmTickets: $25Information: (323) 960-7788Where: NoHo Arts Center at 11136 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601Parking: Metered parking Magnolia & Lankershim on Saturdays until 6pm               side-street parking also available             
Please allow at least 15 minutes to park.