The Diary of Anne Frank at WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen
The WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen recently presented The Diary of Anne Frank, the classic drama about eight Jews hiding from the Nazis in a concealed storage attic in Amsterdam.
This production used Wendy Kesselman’s adaptation of the original Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett script from the 1950s which had premiered on Broadway in 1997 starring Natalie Portman as Anne.
I had seen Diary onstage once before (I had watched the movie of it ages ago) when the NOCCA Stage Company performed it in 2012 using the Goodrich/Hackett version; I recall it as having many gripping moments. Kesselman’s rendering did not strike me this way; interesting, yes, but as Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times, “more notable for its moral conscientiousness than for theatrical inspiration.”
Still, to Kesselman’s credit, she restored Judaism to the Franks and their fellow attic-dwellers which, according to Brantley, Goodrich/Hackett “had bleached out much of…for fear of alienating mainstream audiences.” (Oy) In Kesselman’s script, the Franks express how they feel about the yellow Star of Davids they must wear (and tear off once they go into hiding), and a Hanukkah scene towards the end of the first act is both charming and, momentarily, adds dramatic sparks.
Rachel Whitman Groves’ direction was good, clearly showing the ebb and flow of the various relationships, but might’ve benefitted from greater variety in its pacing and a sharpening of the performances. I would compare her to an orchestra conductor whose tempi didn’t vary as much as they could and who didn’t draw out all she could from individual players, while still creating an acceptable interpretation of the music.
Groves and the production were not helped by the playing space at the Stage Door Canteen. While Eric Porter’s set created a suitably cramped feel for its occupants, additional space around the set and the auditorium’s overall openness took away from the oppressive sense of closeness that these people must have experienced.
Still, the entire cast, with one exception, gave fine performances; I kept wishing each of them would have more to do.
Elizabeth McCoy, who has brought an invigorating life force to Tennessee Williams heroines, was appealingly subdued here, drawing you into Margot, Anne’s older sister and temperamental opposite. Andrew Gude was similarly excellent as the prickly dentist who winds up sharing a room with Anne. Ditto for Joel Ellis as the teenage Peter Van Daan, a quiet boy who experiences his first taste of romance with Anne.
I especially appreciated the New Orleans stage debut of Lorna Dopson as Miep, an employee and friend of Mr. Frank, who was instrumental in aiding the people hiding in the attic. Dopson made Miep concerned for her charges’ well-being without ever being overly saintly about it, and aware that no matter how bad she had it in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, the Jews had it worse.
Also giving very accomplished performances were John Jabaley (Mr. Frank), Andrew Niemann (Mr. Kraler, another employee/friend of Mr. Frank), Leslie Nipkow (Mrs. Van Daan), Lauren Wells (Mrs. Frank), and John Wettermark (Mr. Van Daan).
Alas, the one performance that disappointed was Tara Ampolini as Anne. Yes she brought an almost overpowering energy to Anne making her, at times and not inappropriately, a pain in the ass. Ampolini, however, did not endow her iconic character with any shading or nuance; every scene and virtually every line reading was on the same level of emotional intensity.
One would expect that even as young a person as Anne would react, however subtly, to the vast changes in her circumstances; Ampolini’s Anne didn’t. One would hope for an actress to convey some interior thoughts that could account for Anne’s keen observations of the world and people around her; Ampolini didn’t. We see how Anne changes and develops in Kesselman’s script; Ampolini’s Anne did but only in the very slightest of ways.
As such, given that Anne is onstage for nearly the entirety of the show’s duration and involved in virtually every scene, Ampolini kept the rest of the cast from reaching their full potential; certainly, Groves shares responsibility for this as well.
Ironically, perhaps the most satisfying scene was a brief one involving Mrs. Frank and Miep as Wells and Dopson invested it with focused and complex artistry.
Despite my reservations, The WWII Museum is to be commended for presenting this vital and still powerful drama, particularly in this time of world upheaval.
[For information about upcoming events at the Stage Door Canteen, go to https://www.nationalww2museum.org/events-programs/bbs-stage-door-canteen]
Curtain Up
What with French Quarter Fest coming up which tends to disrupt theater schedules, there’s not a lot going on before Jazzfest takes over our cultural scene at the end of April. A few works, however, that will be trodding the boards are worth paying attention to as follows:
Junebug Productions presents Sole 2 Soul at the Ashé Powerhouse Theater April 4 thru 6. Harnessing the power of storytelling through rhythm and movement, Sole 2 Soul promises to be a testament to the enduring power of rhythm and grooves.
Created and directed by jeremy de’jon guyton, with music direction by Jentleman Sharp and creative consultation by Iman Keilah, Sole 2 Soul will voyage to sanctuary and beyond featuring dancers and musicians. Tickets and more information at https://junebugproductions.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events#/events/3741
Noises Off opens at Jefferson Performing Arts Center on April 12 and runs till April 21.
Michael Frayn’s backstage farce involves a group of British actors rehearsing a show called Nothing On which is far from ready for opening night. The play within the play is filled with slamming doors, fallen trousers, lost sardines, and lots of ensuing hilarity.
Harold Heno directs a cast which includes Leon Contavesprie. Johnathan Mares, and Elizabeth McCoy (in a very different role from hers in Diary of Anne Frank). (https://www.jpas.org/performance/noises-off/)
In Born with Teeth, at Le Petit Theatre April 25-May 12, the already established Elizabethan playwright Kit Marlowe and up-and-comer Will Shakespeare meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a tyrannical regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose.
Actor/playwright Michael Aaron Santos directs Ian Hoch (Christopher Marlowe) and Dylan Hunter (William Shakespeare) in this regional premiere. (https://www.lepetittheatre.com/listings/events//born-with-teeth.html)
And these two evenings both promise to be very special.
Broadway@NOCCA returns on April 18 for the first time since the abbreviated pre-pandemic season of 2020. To kick-off its return, the series welcomes Claybourne Elder, who stars as John Adams on The Gilded Age and appeared in the recent Broadway revival of Company. Rodney Bush accompanies Elder on the piano. This performance will benefit The NOCCA Institute. (http://www.broadwaynola.com/)
Claybourne Elder will be appearing at NOCCA
NOBA concludes its 2023-24 season on April 20 with Parsons Dance with The Allen Toussaint Orchestra at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Led by Artistic Director David Parsons, the company’s program will include signature works like 1982’s Caught (which I described in 2011 as “a crowd pleaser, a simple idea brilliantly done in which strobe lights combine with the dancer’s athleticism and artistry to create the illusion that he is floating in space.”) and Swing Shift, which is built around a series of duets & trios and is a study of speed and partnering.
The Parsons Dance company
The evening’s finale will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Parsons’ acclaimed work Whirlaway to a soundtrack of Allen Toussaint hits. Originally commissioned by NOBA and premiering here in 2014, this work’s restaging will feature new costumes and choreography with music by Reginald Toussaint and The Allen Toussaint Orchestra to honor the life and legacy of a New Orleans icon. (https://nobadance.com/performances/parsons-dance-with-the-allen-toussaint-orchestra/)
New in New York
I wish I could encourage you to see two of the exhibits I saw when I was in New York at the end of February but, unfortunately, the Paul Cadmus (at DC Moore Gallery) and Judy Chicago (New Museum) shows have closed.
I can, however, enthusiastically recommend that you head to The Museum at FIT for its eye-opening exhibition Statement Sleeves. You’ll never think about sleeves the same way again.
Sleeves? Huh? What’s the big deal? Well, in this compact, fascinating show you’ll see how designers, from the late 1700s to today, gave different silhouettes & shapes to sleeves and the incredible range of styles that this simple and undervalued part of garments has taken on.
The exhibit opens with an overview of common sleeve shapes such as the bell, the dolman, and the leg-of-mutton. Each is made from black fabric, allowing you to focus on the shape of the sleeve.
Statement Sleeves then goes on to showcase nearly 80 fashion pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, the majority of which are on display for the first time. They are organized thematically or by complementary aesthetics rather than chronologically and include creations by such boldface name designers as Balenciaga, Tom Ford, Schiaparelli, and Vivienne Westwood. The exhibition highlights how sleeves serve as a mode of self-expression that reflects one’s gestures & movements, showcases their ability to indicate specific fashion eras & their related trends, and proclaims their role as signifiers of status, taste, & personality.
Dresses with long hanging sleeves by Pauline Trigère (l.) and Christopher John Rogers (r.)
Some of my favorites were a multicolored checked dress by Pauline Trigère with long hanging sleeves; Christopher John Rogers’ striped multicolored dress also with hanging sleeves; Thierry Mugler’s silver metallic lamé evening dress with pleated fabric flanges that cover the arms; Givenchy’s “Bettina” blouse with flounced sleeves modeled after styles worn by flamenco dancers; and a silk cocktail dress by Tom Ford with bound sleeves that, when the wearer’s arms are outstretched, form two long oval spaces on either side of the torso to striking effect.
Statement Sleeves remains open until August 25. And in the uber-expensive world of NYC, how can you resist something fabulous that’s even free?!
Varla Jean Merman’s Stand By Your Drag may not have been free (hey, those wigs and gowns are expensive), but it was just as fabulous in New York as it was in New Orleans if not more so. Making her debut at Red Eye, Varla had trimmed her cabaret extravaganza to a sleek 60 minute run time without sacrificing any laughs; in fact, though the hour flew by, so stuffed with wit, slapstick humor and sophisticated cheesiness, that it felt like you were getting two hours worth of entertainment.
If you happen to be in NYC the next time Varla appears at Red Eye, don’t miss her. And next time, hopefully, she’ll do three performances–at least–as her two on February 24 both sold out.
At Red Eye, Brian Johnston and Varla Jean Merman (l.); Vivacious (r.)
Vivacious, of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s sixth season (the one that Bianca Del Rio eventually won), hosted a dance party after Varla and was scheduled to perform as well. I enjoyed the music but had to depart by 1am and thus missed Vivacious’ act. Hope to catch her next time I’m in town. (For the latest goings-on at Red Eye, check out https://redeyeny.com/)
And one other thing I hope to catch the next time I’m in town is Sunday night at The Playhouse, the former off-Broadway theater in the West Village (Naked Boys Singing started there many years ago) that’s now a club/event space. I happened to wander into it when I had some time to kill and, after descending the flight of steps leading to its below ground performance area, discovered quite possibly the gayest thing I’ve ever seen, a video karaoke of endless show tunes performed by mostly 30/40something y.o. men and overseen by a drag queen who leads a similar occasion on Fire Island.
Seeing the drag queen and five guys doing the opening number of SIX, flawlessly, is a sight I’ll not soon forget. Just checked the website, https://www.playhousebar.com/, and looks like there’s all sorts of fun stuff going on there that I hope to check out and report back to you about…unless I decide just to never leave such a rainbow-drenched place.
