OMG! I Actually Wrote A Review For Something!
Seriously. I recently went to see The Diary Of Anne Frank, a play put on by the UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) Theater Department. For those that don't know [though personally I don't know anyone who doesn't know], Anne Frank was a Holocaust victim who left a record of her experience before being captured in a diary she wrote while in hiding with her family during World War Two.
This stage production had its good and bad points. Mainly good, but it definitely wasn't perfect, and definitely wasn't Broadway.
Let's begin with the good. Rose Serna ("Anne Frank") was one of the best actresses in the whole production, and gave all the impression of a spastic, immature ten year old, even though her character was supposedly a teenager. She beautifully portrays Anne's mounting despair as they all realize this isn't some big adventure that they will get out of totally unscathed, physically or mentally.
However, I believe that Patrick Payne ("Otto Frank") and Karen Moore ("Edith Frank") were the true stars of this show. They very well could have played their respective parts without saying a word- their facial expressions said it all. You find yourself rooting for Otto as he tries to maintain peace in the household, and sympathizing with Edith as she tries to deal with Anne's mistrust and alienation of her. Otto's speech was the perfect end for the production, for, instead of leaving off at the end of Anne's life, we see that the story goes on, even without her.
Austin Aloysius Savage ("Mr. Dussel") had much stage chemistry with Miss Serna, and was one of the few capable of matching her in level of annoyance, even if a little hokey in his overdone angst concerning people hating dentists.
Danielle Gonzalez ("Margot Frank") was little more than a face in the background for most of the play, and could have used some somewhat intelligent lines, instead of just "yes", "no", and "it's okay". Shanna Gobin ("Miep") reminded me of a shrink, and also needed more lines. 'Nuff said.
Francisco Castro ("Peter Van Daan") was weak at first, as far as acting went. He gained momentum later on, though could have refrained from acting like an eight year old fearing cooties around Anne- He was sixteen, for goodness sake!
Nathan Stell Smith ("Mr. Van Daan") and Marissa Vasquez ("Mrs. Van Daan") both portrayed their roles very well- has us all rooting for Edith when she tried to kick them out [after finding Mr. Van Daan stealing bread rations]. Otto's mission of peace, however, brought us back to our senses, though we were still only partly relieved when it was decided they could stay.
We were all glad Andrew Lopez ("Kraler") only had a few lines when we discovered he sounded like a whiny sixth grader, when he was supposed to be playing a grown man.
I applaud the Scenic Designer, Eric Cope. The set did not seem forced when the actors/actresses were walking from one room to another, despite the limited space available for the set. They actually properly walked through the set, too, without jumping from one room to another like hallways didn't exist in the 1940s!
All in all, I thought it was very well done, though, again, not perfect. It could have been better with better actors/actresses for some parts, but maybe they were the best to be had [In El Paso, they usually are].
This stage production had its good and bad points. Mainly good, but it definitely wasn't perfect, and definitely wasn't Broadway.
Let's begin with the good. Rose Serna ("Anne Frank") was one of the best actresses in the whole production, and gave all the impression of a spastic, immature ten year old, even though her character was supposedly a teenager. She beautifully portrays Anne's mounting despair as they all realize this isn't some big adventure that they will get out of totally unscathed, physically or mentally.
However, I believe that Patrick Payne ("Otto Frank") and Karen Moore ("Edith Frank") were the true stars of this show. They very well could have played their respective parts without saying a word- their facial expressions said it all. You find yourself rooting for Otto as he tries to maintain peace in the household, and sympathizing with Edith as she tries to deal with Anne's mistrust and alienation of her. Otto's speech was the perfect end for the production, for, instead of leaving off at the end of Anne's life, we see that the story goes on, even without her.
Austin Aloysius Savage ("Mr. Dussel") had much stage chemistry with Miss Serna, and was one of the few capable of matching her in level of annoyance, even if a little hokey in his overdone angst concerning people hating dentists.
Danielle Gonzalez ("Margot Frank") was little more than a face in the background for most of the play, and could have used some somewhat intelligent lines, instead of just "yes", "no", and "it's okay". Shanna Gobin ("Miep") reminded me of a shrink, and also needed more lines. 'Nuff said.
Francisco Castro ("Peter Van Daan") was weak at first, as far as acting went. He gained momentum later on, though could have refrained from acting like an eight year old fearing cooties around Anne- He was sixteen, for goodness sake!
Nathan Stell Smith ("Mr. Van Daan") and Marissa Vasquez ("Mrs. Van Daan") both portrayed their roles very well- has us all rooting for Edith when she tried to kick them out [after finding Mr. Van Daan stealing bread rations]. Otto's mission of peace, however, brought us back to our senses, though we were still only partly relieved when it was decided they could stay.
We were all glad Andrew Lopez ("Kraler") only had a few lines when we discovered he sounded like a whiny sixth grader, when he was supposed to be playing a grown man.
I applaud the Scenic Designer, Eric Cope. The set did not seem forced when the actors/actresses were walking from one room to another, despite the limited space available for the set. They actually properly walked through the set, too, without jumping from one room to another like hallways didn't exist in the 1940s!
All in all, I thought it was very well done, though, again, not perfect. It could have been better with better actors/actresses for some parts, but maybe they were the best to be had [In El Paso, they usually are].