The Diary of Anne Frank - one of the best-selling books of all time - is the story of a young Jewish girl and her family who are forced into hiding by the Nazis during World War II.
This adaptation of Anne Frank's diary for the stage, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize. The screen version won three Oscars and eight nominations. The Tower Theatre Company, in their new home the Bridewell Theatre, has done justice to the powerful script.
It is cheap to draw the analogy, but the story of eight individuals confined to a small space reminded me of the Big Brother house.
Eight people confined in a small space unaware of the outside world. Bonds crack as a family and friends turn swiftly into individuals. They all suffer mental torture and sexual tension. The introvert shares a room with the extrovert. Morality disintegrates, showing a fine lie between self-control and self-indulgence. Mr Van Daan (Alyn Phillips-Green) scavenges for cigarettes, sells his wife's coat and steals food in the night, blaming the rats.
Anne's father Otto Frank (Ian Hoare) - one of the shining lights of the admirable performances - concludes : "We don't need the Nazis to destroy us, we are destroying ourselves".
The first half is actually quite light-hearted causing a few nervous laughs from the audience. The story is covered in a blanket of irony that mostly sterns farm the innocence of Anne Frank (Lucy Danser). The young girl misses her bike and best friend. Danser was excellent as the spiky young girl. From the moment she bounced onto stage, dancing on the bed, flicking through books, playing pranks, she breathed life into her desperate surroundings. Unlike her despairing housemates, Frank's naivety matures into optimism and hope.
The intense relationship.between Anne and her father was a fitting tribute following Holocaust Memorial Day last week.