Emiliano Torres and Genesis Ochoa in Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank at the Dorie Theatre at The Complex. (Photo by Elvira Barjau)
Emiliano Torres and Genesis Ochoa in Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank at the Dorie Theatre at The Complex. (Photo by Elvira Barjau)

The Diary of Anne Frank

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Dorie Theatre/Complex
Through February 24

Some seventy plus years after it was first published, Anne Frank’s heartrending story still tugs irresistibly at the heart. Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of the original play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett has special significance for our highly contentious political climate.

Director Stan Zimmerman’s inspiration for the production came from a CNN story about a Jewish woman who provided haven for an undocumented Latino family. His reimagining of the play utilizes Latino actors in the role of Dutch Jews, which undoubtedly creates stark resonance, and some problems as well. The play begins as a staged reading of the original, with cast members reading from scripts. This goes on for over a half an hour, and it’s initially puzzling, then becomes somewhat of a distraction. Eventually the scripts are discarded, the actors become their characters, and the play unfolds.

It takes place in Amsterdam in 1942 during the Nazi’s occupation of that country. Two Jewish families, the Franks and the Van Daans, are forced to take refuge in a small, two-room hiding place behind a faux bookshelf in a business owned by Otto Frank (Emiliano Torres). Mrs. Frank (Tasha Dixon), Mr. Van Dann (Robert Raicch), his wife (Raquenel), their son Peter (David Gurrola), Anne (Genesis Ochoa) and her sister Margot (Niki Mejia) not only endure the terrible discomforts of living in such limited confines but must also keep quiet during the day for fear of being detected.

Good or bad news from the outside, food rations, and a few amenities are brought in by two friends of Otto’s, Mr. Kraler (Keith Coogan), and Miep (Heather Olt). The Franks and Van Daans are later joined by a Jewish dentist, Mr. Dussell (Raymond Abel Thomas). The ordeal is not without its lighter moments, but there are also many moments of crushing despair, heated bickering, tears and rage as their fears mount and time trudges on.

This is not a polished production. The acting, on balance, is passable, but the performances often seem mired in the staged-reading mode at the play’s beginning. The most glaring liability is Ochoa, whose performance is too thick with girlish exuberance, and fails to capture or project Anne’s commanding precociousness. Ineffective also is Zimmerman’s jagged pacing, especially noticeable during Act II.

 

Dorie Theatre/The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.; (No perf. Feb. 1-3); www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3921444. Running Time: 100 minutes with an  intermission.