Photo Flash: KVPAC Presents THE DIARY OF ANNE FRNK

Katy Visual & Performing Art Center's Encore Players gave it their all in their final performance of The Diary of Anne Frank on Sunday afternoon. The play, directed by Tina Morille, along with Assistant Director Jordan Morille, was, in Morille's words "about real people, during a real time in history, being forced to undergo real feelings and raw emotion in a literal and metaphorical cramped space."

In the opening scene the Frank family arrives at the Annex, their secret hiding place above Mr. Frank's office, right in the heart of Amsterdam. Brittney Thorne, as Anne, skips around her new home with abundant enthusiasm; she sees the experience of going into hiding as an adventure, not realizing of course what horrors would lay ahead for her family and six million other Jews. Thorne virtually channels the spirit of the young, strong-willed teen. With her girl-like charm and dynamic presence, Thorne commanded our full attention. She never missed a beat as she fluently went from excited and happy to utter despair and then back again. Anne Frank's diary entries have become not only a personal and intimate account of one girl's tragic experience, but also a timeless work of art.

Audience members were taken in by a core group of eight incredibly talented actors (The Encore Players) whose poise and professionalism made us believe we were smack in the middle of the World War II era. Gregory Magyar and Amanda Barker, as Mr. & Mrs. Otto Frank, portrayed kind and loving parents to daughters Anne (Brittney Thorne) and Margot, played by Ashleigh Dera. Jason Evetts acted the part of Mr. Van Daan, a loud and somewhat brutish personality. His wife, Mrs. Van Daan, played by Lisa Connolly, often provided comic relief. The Van Daans' rather timid son, Peter, was skillfully portrayed by Frank Mena. Midway through the play, the already crowded group is joined by another Jew-in-hiding, a dentist by the name of Mr. Dussel, played by Andy Midkiff. In addition to the cast of characters residing in the annex, Ariel Theiss appeared in the role of Miep Gies, and Chris Mason as Mr. Kraler, Christian citizens who hated the Nazis and helped the Franks and their friends by occasionally delivering fresh food, news and other necessities.

It is clear that the families brought very few possessions to their new residence, due to having to leave their homes suddenly. At one point Mr. Van Daan harshly tells his wife that they must sell her treasured fur coat, the last remaining memory of her father. In her extraordinary performance as Mrs. Van Daan, Lisa Connolly burst into tears and collapsed on the floor. It was evident that the coat was just a symbol of all that the Jewish people had lost, not just their possessions - but family members, neighbors, and friends, virtually their entire identity and lives as they once knew them. As Lisa Connolly put her heart and soul into her character and the audience could be seen dabbing away at misty eyes.

Toward the end of the play the characters are listening to President Eisenhower's BBC radio address proclaiming that troops had landed in Normandy and that soon all Jews would be liberated. Forces were working their way across Europe and the Nazis would be defeated. Elation spread throughout the small living quarters but it was short-lived. After a few tense days of waiting for freedom the worst happens: The Nazis find the families hiding in the annex and silently, to the accompaniment of a very melancholy musical score, they were led away. Kudos must be given to the technical crew who excelled at lighting and sound effects. Audience members quietly cried as the scene unfolded. After a brief silence in the darkened theatre, Greg Magyar came back out on stage for his final monologue in which he explained the horrible and historically accurate fate that met each family member and their roommates. With a sad, shaky demeanor and a breaking voice, Magyar, as Otto Frank, told how Anne's girlfriend from school had tragically witnessed Anne through the barbed wire of a Nazi camp; she was lying sick, naked, and covered with lice. All Anne could whisper was that "she had lost everything." Two days before the arrival of the liberating armies Anne passed away. Hers was one story in millions of horrific ironies in the midst of incomprehensible evil.

Knowing that this story was not a work of fiction, but an artistic depiction of an ugly and horrific chapter in world history made this production incredibly poignant. Anne, in the end, got her wish for fame; she lives on long after she is gone. She is truly remarkable after all.

This play was a deeply moving portrayal of a family's harsh reality. We were privileged to meet these people from the past, their quirks, their strengths and their weaknesses. We were pulling for them to make it, even though we had read the books, seen the movies, and heard the historical accounts. It just seemed so real. Couldn't it, we wondered, just this one time, have a happy ending? But as in history it was not to be. As the curtain closed, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. This small group of actors entertained us, taught us, and at times made us laugh and cry, but most importantly they had the power and the creative ability to transport us to a time and place that really wasn't so long ago.

Director Tina Morille and Assistant Director Jordan Morille did an amazing job with this production. The set design, by Warren Cochran was perfect. Christina Donelson went above and beyond as Production Manager; even ordering a replica of Anne's diary from the Anne Frank Museum in Holland. The show was performed on The Kennedy Grand stage in the Patterson Main Theatre at KVPAC.

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