Rubicon Gives Life to 'Anne Frank'

The story is perhaps better known among the modern generation of playgoers than any other biographical production in theatrical repertory. 

It could thus be imagined that any such show is doomed to come off as stale or tired, yet it is the very fact that the multi-generational awareness of The Diary of Anne Frank is so abundant that the latest incarnation at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura works so well.

Growing up as a Jew in America, it was a story I came to know well, the innocence lost when a young girl experiences the horrors of Nazi occupied Europe while held up in a hidden attic along with her family and friends. 

The bravery these families exuded in the face of true hell, only to succumb to the treachery of Hitler's minions, being carted away to concentration camps ultimately nearly all perishing before the Allied nations could rescue them was a story for the ages, and remains so today.

New light has been shed on that infamous tale of Anne Frank and more specifically her father, Otto.  As the Rubicon was preparing to stage a revival of the more recently adapted 1995 book by Wendy Kesselman, letters penned by Otto Frank surfaced revealing a failed plea to family members residing in America to save his wife and children from the impending Nazi doom.  Like so many European Jews of the time, Otto's requests for help from America went unanswered, most likely a result of a refusal to believe the extremity of their situation.

In their staging of The Diary of Anne Frank, the creative team behind the Rubicon Theatre, as well as the talent out front, has given praiseworthy life to an extremely important piece of theatrical history, continuing the tradition of never forgetting the atrocities carried out in the dark days of World War II against the Jewish people.

Bruce Weitz's (Death of a Salesman with George C. Scott and TV's "Hill Street Blues") heartfelt and somber portrayal of Otto Frank along with the superbly talented Lauren Patten as Anne Frank creates the pivotal roles of this production.

Patten, at only 14, is a talent to watch, as she is full of potential, much of which is on display at the Rubicon.  Her precocious take on Anne shows a side of the character that is eager to learn life's lessons beyond her years, establishing the bitter reality of her never living long enough to realize such aspirations.  Longing to be a famous writer, her ominous premonitions sadly are realized when her diary was published and the young girl posthumously becomes an inspiration to millions of people across the world.

Weitz packs a serious emotional punch as the stalwart father who holds together the little semblance of reason found amongst the all too packed attic of mixed families.  His somber expression is one that puts ache in any warm-hearted person.  Along with crushing performances by Karyl Lynn Burns as Mrs. Frank and Alison Brie as Margot, the Frank family speaks to everything that was lost amongst the nearly six million Jews wiped off the face of the earth during the Holocaust.

George Backman, as Mr. Van Daan, one of the other attic occupants, has such poignant eyes it is difficult to fathom how only he ultimately breaks down emotionally during the course of their pent up life above a factory.  As he asks his wife, sharply crafted by Linda Purl, to sell of her fur coat, the reality that like her garment, the past that Jews once knew in Europe had come to an end.

Other notable performances rounding out the production include the wonderfully neurotic Joel Polis as Mr. Dussel, Jesse Bernstein as the burgeoning young teen Peter Van Daan and Laurel Lyle as Meip, the families' link to outside life.

James O'Neil should be commended for his respectful treatment and direction of this important tale, and for his ability to elicit such honest work from the young cast.  Designer Thomas Giamario fills the Rubicon stage with a claustrophobic stage design along with haunting lighting.  With intermittent Nazi recordings and an emotionally wrought train closing out the show, David Beaudry's sound design compliments the overall production well.  Alex Jaeger provides costume design.

The Diary of Anne Frank plays through April 1 at the Rubicon Theatre.  Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 805-667-2900.  The theatre is located at 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District.  For more information, visit www.rubicontheatre.org.

Photos by Martin S. Fuentes Brooks Institute of Photography.  (Top) Bruce Weitz and Lauren Patten; (Bottom) The Cast.
 

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