The Lansing Civic Players create an intriguing historical tale in their retelling of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
Based on a true story, the Players use portions of Anne’s diary to narrate the play, chronicling the lives of Anne’s family and others as they hide from Hitler’s discriminatory laws and concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Sharing a cramped two-level apartment are Anne (Kristin Shields); Mr. Frank (Todd Heywood); Mrs. Frank (Elizabeth Cummings); Anne’s sister, Margot (Lindsey Stakoe); Mr. Van Daan (Tom Klunzinger); Mrs. Van Daan (Linda Granger); their son, Peter (Ryan Mahaney) and Mr. Dussell (Bill Gordon), a dentist.
The eight seek refuge in Mr. Frank’s employer’s attic, as they live in constant fear and are forced to sit and wait until the Nazi rule is over.
Under constant scrutiny, the characters must watch their every step and live by a schedule. They have quiet times when other people are in the building, and when they hear something out of the ordinary, they take their shoes off to be as quiet as possible.
With a small set to depict the tight quarters, there is barely enough room for all the characters in the attic. But the set does allow enough room for action during the show.
In such close quarters, tempers flare as eight people struggle to share the rations of three. The only source of communication with the outside world comes through Meip (Ijeoma Okpala), who works in Mr. Frank’s former office.
Trading a carefree youth, her own bedroom and a large house for an attic fit for two isn’t an easy transition for Anne.
“Every grown-up thinks they know everything there is to know about rendering a child, especially single ones,” Anne says when Mr. Dussell lectures her about her behavior.
Shields, a DeWitt High School student, makes Anne’s growth apparent. Shields became her character, making clear shifts in personality as she grows into a young woman.
Experiencing loneliness, fits of confusion and nightmares, Anne’s life goes through drastic changes.
An aspiring writer, Anne keeps a daily diary, which is the only practice that keeps her sane. She expresses her innermost feelings, becomes anyone she wants and maintains her youth.
Although her diary helps to serve as an outlet for her struggles, daily life in such small quarters with no one to relate to is difficult for Anne.
Her sister Margot is everything Anne isn’t: her mother’s best friend, quiet and responsible. Peter’s a boy, and everyone else is an adult.
Even so, of all the characters, Anne makes the largest transformation in the household. She enters the house as a girl and grows into a young woman.
The actors and actresses mastered their Dutch accents and played their roles well.
Mahaney’s performance is exceptional as Peter. Playing a shy young boy kissing for only his third time, this theater sophomore was quite convincing.
Mr. Frank holds everything together in the attic. Heywood provides strength and compassion to the other characters, striking a chord with audiences as his character is the voice of reason in the play and source inspiration for the household.
Mrs. Frank, although a loving and caring housekeeper and mother, often shows her stronger side when helping make household decisions. Cummings is soft-spoken as the gentle Mrs. Frank, but she also stands up for what she thinks is right.
She is the opposite of Mr. Frank, and their characters complemented each other well.
This play, although about the life of a young girl, is ultimately about hope: the hope of regaining youth, ending war and becoming people again.
“For the past two years we have lived in fear. Now we can live in hope,” Mr. Frank says when the characters are together for the last time, before the Nazis find their hiding place.
“The Diary of Anne Frank” runs again next weekend. For ticket information, call 484-9191.
