"The Diary of Anne Frank" - by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett - Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. at the Bradley Playhouse (Putnam, CT) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: The CAST of "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 11, 2025. Photo Courtesy Bradley Playhouse)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“I'm afraid that people who know me as I usually am will discover I have another side, a better and finer side.”
- Anne Frank’s final diary entry / August 1, 1944
Theatre Of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc.
at the Bradley Playhouse
Presents
"THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK"
Written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett
Directed by Rachel Terceira
Stage Manager Kat Lundy
Cast Includes: Olivia Tavares as “Anne Frank,” Dave Clark as “Otto Frank,” Tara Golson as “Edith Frank,” Sophie Marcus as “Margot Frank,” William Alexson as “Peter Van Daan,” Kimberly Spera as “Mrs. Van Daan,” William Corriveau as “Mr. Van Daan,” Jim Douglas as “Mr. Dussel,” Alan Marcus as “Mr. Kraler,” Leah Dubiel as “Meip.”
Ensemble: David Lindsay, Jack Ferdman.
Additional Creative Team:
Artistic Committee Liaison - Christine Healy, Sarah Oschmann; Executive Production Manager - Jeanne Foley; Production Manager - Jordan D’Allesandro; Lighting Design - Aidan Horrigan, Brenda Griswold; Sound Design - Nicholas Jorge; Set Designer and Set Artist - Greg Brock; Lights Operator - Connor Small; Sound Operator - Jeremy Woloski, Ella Woloski, Wendy Hammond; Spot Operator - Casey Stoelzel; Set Construction - Ty Collige; Props/ Set Dresser - Melinda Collelo, Bonnie Theriault; Costume Dresser - Paisley Gothreau, Teal Griswold; Assistant Costume Dresser - Zoe Bibek; Costume Designer - Rachel Terceira; Wig Designer - Rebecca Theriaque; Head Shots - Patricia Verrill; Photography - Alan Marcus, Kendra Malizia; Production Coordinator - Kathleen Atwood; Volunteer Coordinator - Cindy Beckman; Marketing Coordinator - Kendra Malizia; Digital Program - Cindy Beckman; Theater Operations Coordinator - Amy Stoelzel.
Performances:
April 25, 2025 through May 11, 2025
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE, 30 Front Street (Route 44) in Putnam, CT. 06260-1942
TICKETS
All seats reserved. Reservations may be made with a major credit card online at www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or by calling 860-928-7887.
BUY TICKETS
COVID 19 PROTOCOLS
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)
The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut at the Bradley Playhouse (TNECT) offers us a faithful, earnest rendering of "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" which proves to be around a subject that is as timely as ever these days.
The overall performances and efforts by the entire TNECT creative team greatly impresses while keeping a respectful eye on the delicate subject matter involved.
The TNECT production is well staged by Director Rachel Terceira who has guided the production with both a keen eye for detail and delicate handling of the story.
Written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" was originally produced at the Phoenix Theatre in London in 1956.
The play takes place in Amsterdam, Holland in November of 1945 and spans across two years.
Even after almost 60 years since being adapted for the stage, "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" is still an extremely relevant, poignant drama.
Based on the real ANNE FRANK's diary, the two-act play follows the FRANK family and another family, the Van Daans, as they go into hiding in a secret floor in a hidden space above the office of Otto FRANK (Dave Clark) in an Amsterdam building to escape Nazi persecution.
(Photo: Alan Marcus as “Mr. Kraler,” Jim Douglas as “Mr. Dussel” and Dave Clark as “Otto Frank” in a scene from "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 11, 2025. Photo Courtesy Bradley Playhouse)
The members of the families we are introduced to include:
ANNE FRANK (Olivia Tavares), a 13-year-old girl who begins writing her diary as she and her family go into hiding. Tavares is outstanding as the precocious young ANNE.
Otto FRANK (Dave Clark), ANNE's father - presented to us by Clark as a gentle, kind, wise and benevolent man.
Edith FRANK (Tara Golson), ANNE's mother, who is a loving parent to her children but struggles to express her emotions and connect with ANNE.
Both Clark and Golden offer sympathetic portrayals of the beleaguered FRANK parents.
Margot FRANK (Sophie Marcus), ANNE's older sister, who is less outgoing than ANNE.
Marcus impresses as Margot, who comes across as a kind, intelligent and caring daughter and sister. Mr. van Daan (William Corriveau), a business partner of Mr. FRANK who smokes and often acts in selfish ways and irritates the others in how he expresses his opinions.
Mrs. van Daan (Kimberly Spera) is a superficial and needy woman.
Both Corriveau and Spera provide commendable performances as the contentious, quarreling couple who obviously have lived a life filled with finer things but are now reduced to inhumane conditions.
Peter van Daan (William Alexson), the son of the Van Daans who is initially shy and reserved. Alexson gives an amiable performance as young Peter who, over time, develops a close friendship and eventually a romantic connection with ANNE.
The families are eventually joined by an eighth person, Mr. Dussel (Jim Douglas), who is a dentist. Douglas expertly adds an unstable element to the situation as the demanding Dussel begins to have constant clashes with the stubborn young ANNE.
Providing aide and various essentials to the confined families are Mr. Kraler (Alan Marcus) and Meip (Leah Dubiel).
The collective performances ably convey the story, which has always had a rather “procedural” historical feel to it.
There is far more actual history involved in the telling of this true story, most of which would be difficult to explore as much as it could be within the confines of a two-hour play.
Yet, the story by Goodrich and Hackett does extremely well at providing us at least a glimpse into the actual events as they occurred and what life must have been like for these persecuted souls.
We get information presented in snippets of the real ANNE FRANK's diary, and all the major events are successfully presented here.
(Photo: Olivia Tavares as “Anne Frank” with William Alexson as “Peter Van Daan in a scene from "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 11, 2025. Photo Courtesy Bradley Playhouse)
Over two hours, we spend two years with them all as the families survive, contending with their daily lives, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month after agonizing month, facing varied struggles.
Through it all, what is retained is the enduring optimism and hope that ANNE desperately holds onto despite the families’ shared hardship.
While these eight people try to maintain a sense of normalcy amidst the constant Nazi threat, 13-year-old ANNE grows and matures.
It is the performance by Tavares as ANNE that dominates as the teen struggles with her emotions not only as to their situation but also as she transforms from naïve child to a more mature, thoughtful young woman.
The first act is broken into five scenes, taking us back from July 1942 to December of that same year, ending with a Hanukkah celebration, where we witness a moment of joy and connection the families find amidst their hardships.
The above scene is well constructed to depict the resilience of the human spirit. The second act begins nearly a year later, spanning from January to June of 1944.
As the pressure of their terrifying circumstances takes hold of the families, we watch as ANNE's unwavering faith in society's capacity for human kindness is maintained.
(Photo: The CAST of "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, now playing at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. through May 11, 2025. Photo Courtesy Bradley Playhouse)
As for the staging, director Rachel Terceira made some extremely wise choices to keep the production respectful of the subject matter it was depicting.
The single set design is a fine representation of the claustrophobic dwelling in which these eight people had to confine themselves to survive for two years.
The use of specialized projections to illustrate the actual diary entries by ANNE FRANK was quite effective and allowed for more seamless transitions between scenes.
"THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" provides a powerful insight into and an emotional exploration of the horrors of the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews under Nazi rule.
The play also highlights the common bond between the characters, their struggles, and their capacity to love, loathe, act out of self-preservation, with equal doses of hope and despair.
It is also still very much a cautionary tale, reminding us of how if we do not learn from the past, we shall always be at risk of repeating it.
For as long as one faction of a society can view another faction as an "infestation" instead of humanity we are all at risk of expulsion, annihilation...or extinction.
One can only pray such a cautionary tale will not be (as) required (as it is right now) in another 60 years.
"THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" continues at the Bradley Playhouse in Putnam, CT. until May 11th.
Coming up next from TNECT at the Bradley Playhouse will be William Shakespeare's immortal “A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" beginning June 6th and running through June 15th, 2025.
For tickets and more information, visit www.thebradleyplayhouse.org or call # 860-928-7887.
BUY TICKETS
Approximately two hours with one intermission.
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
"THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK" is a stage adaptation of the posthumously published 1947 book "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank.
It premiered on Broadway at the Cort Theatre in 1955.
The script by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett also primarily formed the basis of the Academy Award-winning 1959 film adaptation.
ABOUT THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE
THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE is a 117 year-old vaudeville theatre in the heart of the Putnam antiques and restaurant district in the “Quiet Corner” of Northeastern Connecticut. Since 1991, THE BRADLEY PLAYHOUSE has been managed by the volunteers of The Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut, Inc. (TNECT).
ABOUT THEATRE OF NORTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT (TNECT)
TNECT produces eight main season shows per year and a number of special fundraising events for The Bradley Playhouse Restoration Fund. TNECT’s mission is to produce and sponsor quality theatre and entertainment for the residents of Northeastern Connecticut and the surrounding areas, to encourage the development of creativity through the support of local artists, and to support education and hands-on experience in the creation, direction, and production of theatre and the performing arts.
30 Front Street
P.O. Box # 71
Putnam, CT. 06260-1942
