The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by Bryan M. Booth and Sherry Sunday, opened to a full house Friday, Oct. 16, at Murfreesboro Little Theatre. As with most of the shows at MLT, there is a loyal patronage and that puts a premium on tickets. The Diary of Anne Frank is no exception to this rule.
The show featured a talented cast, with Darby McCarthy, Philip Storvik, Lourdes Luster, Olivia Scott, Jeff Stateler, Jennifer Grissom, Amy Bernstein, Jerry Bailey, Justin Mangrum and Steven Luster. In some ways, a show like this comes with built-in potential to really impact people. It has a historical back story; it is based on the true and tragic story of a Jewish family, hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam. It’s also a coming of age story of a young girl in the worst possible conditions.
Phillip Storvik as Otto Frank and Darby McCarthy as Anne Frank
But all these things can work against a story line as well. How do you tell a story about the horrible loss of millions of lives, the fear and desperation of an entire people and do it all in the confines of an attic? You do it by getting Bryan Booth and Sherry Sunday to direct it and finding a superb cast, that’s how.
I could point out memorable moments by all the cast, both in their own characters and in interaction with the other members, but as a whole is where this cast shined. In their interactions, you could feel their fear and hopelessness. They made you feel the strain of cramping eight people into a small attic and certain death waiting just outside the door.
The most touching scene was the Christmas scene and the entire cast played it very well. But as the name of the play indicates, the plum role went to Darby McCarthy, who played Anne. As I understand it, this is her first role and she nailed it. She played the brat and the budding young woman with a doe-eyed sarcasm that made you want to laugh at her, hug her and smack her all at the same time. The chemistry between her and Petra, played by Justin Mangrum, was spot on and you could not help but smile while you watched it. I was also impressed with Jennifer Grissom, who played the older sister. She had only a few lines and least chance to show her acting ability, but you never felt like she was an added character. To make an impact with a role that has few lines and a lot of stage time is tough to do, but she pulled it off nicely.
There is a complexity to all these characters and sub stories, and I couldn’t find fault with any of them. A play of this nature done correctly, as this one was, is a dream for an actor. The emotional impact is higher, the weight of the lines doubled, because these tragic events were real.
Also of note was the set design. It added a dark, somber and very believable element to this work. Of particular mention was a candle, hung from the ceiling, that burned throughout the play. It was very symbolic of the nature of this play and added a nice touch. And of course, the diary, covered in brightly colored fabric and set against the drab set, proved a very touching symbol.
The only fault I could find in this production was the set changes. Maybe it was unavoidable, but the set changes were awkward, somewhat chaotic and occasionally long in duration. There were many changes, no curtain to pull and not a lot of room between stage and audience; all that combined to be somewhat distracting, but it a small price to pay for such a fine show.
On a personal note, Bryan and Sherry, congratulations, best wishes, good health, live long and prosper, Shosbot, Nan no, Nan no.
