BWW Reviews: Beautiful and Deep, ANNE FRANK: WITHIN AND WITHOUT Plays at the Center For Puppetry Arts

A truly beautiful re-telling of perhaps the most famous teenager account of life as a European Jew during the Holocaust, Anne Frank:Within and Without is gracing the downstairs theatre at the Center of Puppetry Arts. The show original premiered at the Center in 2006 and is currently back as part of the 2014-2015 New Directions Series Performance. The show is presented in cooperation with the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Anne Frank Center USA.

Adapted by Bobby Box, the show seems to bring the text of Anne's diary to life. The dialogue follows from narrative to singular diary entries. Unlike many versions of the Anne Frank story, this performance continues the story past the secret annex being discovered. The audience learns the future of each of the secret annex members including Otto Frank and Miep, the sole survivors of the Holocaust. The story here also differs in how the audience also gets an insight into the deep and sometimes complex inner feelings of Anne in addition to the historical background of her life in the annex.

Original music by Chip Epsten accompanies the scenes as well as transports the story from scene to scene. Much of the music is based from a popular Yiddish song entitled "Oyfn Pripitchik". This song is a known memorial for the people who did not survive the Holocaust, but it started out as a lullaby about learning lessons from a rabbi around a cooking stove.The song is sung at a tender moment in the show where Anne goes inside herself and ponders on the beauty of nature.

Speaking of the performance of "Oyfn Pripitchik", Caitlin Roe gives a beautiful vocal deliverance that is simple and pure. Both Caitlin and her castmate, Jeffery Hyman, are excellent at transitioning between performer and puppeteer in a truly interesting staging directed by Mira Hirsch. The two are a truly dynamic team coordinating together to portray the different characters in many different ways as well as playing their own characters and narrating the story. Both performers mentioned in a talk-back following the performance that neither had a history in puppetry. This fact is certainly not evident from the flawless puppetry performance that both give as they give life to many different types of puppets, some that do not even move.

Recognition should also go out to the set design by Ryan Sbaratta. While in a fairly small space, the set definitely feels like it could possible be a room in the annex. At certain moments, that room is isolated in certain sections and becomes a different scene. The action of the play takes the audience all over the stage in a very captivating way.

The performance is appropriated for middle-school aged children and older. Students seem truly interested in the new information they are learning on the life and death of Anne Frank.

Anne Frank: Within and Without is running February 18-March 8, 2015 at the Center For Puppetry Arts (1404 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, Ga 30309). Performances run Wednesday-Sunday with school-day performances during the week. Tickets can be purchased at www.puppet.org or by calling the box office at (404) 873-3391.

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