The Diary Of Anne Frank At Writers Theatre Is Stuck Fast In Midcentury Optimism

• Michael Brosilow
• Sean Fortunato and Sophie Thatcher

Though it’s often staged at high schools, The Diary of Anne Frank—with its heavy Holocaust references, clunky diary passages, and complex character dynamics—is actually a difficult trick to turn. Those producing the 1955 drama can easily get bogged down by the gravitas of the material, forgetting the play’s all-too-human inhabitants. That humanity isn’t overlooked in the production at Writers Theatre, but director Kimberly Senior ultimately misses the mark, giving us a happy family in place of the diary’s complicated individuals.

The diary’s depth extends beyond its World War II context. And this production insists on keeping us close to the surface. But ultimately, the play itself is limited by the 1950s optimism that colors Anne’s 1940s wartime reflections. A director can only work with what she’s got.