The Diary of Anne Frank – York Theatre Royal

Writers: Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Director: Nikolai Foster

Designer: Morgan Large

Reviewer: Rosie Revell

The Public Reviews Rating:

Perhaps the most famous and important diary of recent times Anne Frank chronicled her time in hiding from the Nazis. The two year record of her life with 7 other Jews, above her father’s office, in Amsterdam in ‘the secret annexe’ is well known. Her observations about herself and those around her in this shared confinement were wry, witty and extremely poignant. Anne’s diary is an extraordinary personal account of hope, courage and survival which has and continues to move people worldwide.

Brought back to the York stage to mark the 60th anniversary of the diary’s publication in English it premieres here before embarking on a UK tour. In collaboration with Touring Consortium Theatre Company, York Theatre Royal has yet again created something fresh and quite extraordinary that should be seen by all.

The set is amazing. There is no curtain to shield the audience and from the moment you enter the auditorium you view a stylised version of the annexe. It’s cramped but incredibly effective. The cast never leave the stage; if they are not needed, they sit in shadow on two benches on either side of the stage and effortlessly move the props to signify where events occur. Quite amazingly, the Nazi Officer (Phillip Marriott) sits on the bench, barely moving until he’s needed at the end. It’s ominous and eerie but a fantastic device that the producers of this play should be very proud of.

The tragic inevitability of the ending makes it hard for any audience to relax but the cast do a marvellous job of reanimating this well-known story. The tension is palpable throughout but there are unexpected moments of humour. This is one of this productions true strengths and the cast should be applauded for this. They breathed life into characters that have lived only on a page for so long and did so in a way that presents a balanced view of life in the attic, and a treatise on the resilience of the human spirit.

The annexe inhabitants lived in hope of liberation. This was not to be, just a race against time over who would reach them first, the Nazi’s or the Allies. There was an audible gasp when the Nazi officer finally stands, lights a cigarette and stalks his prey around the periphery of the stage. When he finally enters, speaking only in German, it is all the more shocking and menacing.

Anne (Amy Dawson) is the glue that holds this production together. Dawson is a force of nature, attacking the role with an energy and honesty that is fantastic to watch. Under Dawson’s careful study Anne grows before our very eyes from a lively, mischievous child to a girl on the cusp of womanhood.

Christopher Timothy (Otto Frank) is restrained but powerful as Otto Frank, the engineer of the annexe and Anne’s rock in those very troubled times. It is thanks to him that the world has been able to share in Anne’s diary and it is fitting he is the last person on the stage delivering the epilogue.

The true power of this production is in its simplicity, we all know the story but I had never thought about it as deeply as when watching this. Simple things struck me. Not being able to make a noise between 10am to 6pm for fear of discovery meant shoes are always left in a row at the front of the stage. It is these shoes that are left with the diary, centre stage at the end, sending the audience home with a powerful image that will linger for some time to come. A thought provoking well executed play.