By Marilyn Jozwik
There are so many wonderful moments in MEG’s “The Diary of Anne Frank,” directed by Reva Fox.
For starters, let’s go to the end. That’s when Randall T. Anderson as Anne’s father, Otto, returns to the secret annex in Amsterdam where the Frank family and several other Jews hid from Nazis for more than two years during World War II. In a wonderfully portrayed, emotional scene, Anderson pours out all his character’s feelings about the ordeal that left him the only survivor among the hideout’s eight occupants.
To get to that poignant ending, theatergoers travel an incredible journey with this exceptional cast. It is a journey that helps us understand the characters thrust together by the terrible circumstances of their time as seen through the eyes of Anne Frank, a girl of middle school age. This diverse group dials through myriad emotions during its confinement: frustration, anguish, joy, hope, desperation. And this cast taps into all of these so well.
Zaela Schlissel, a freshman at Kettle Moraine High School, fills Anne’s shoes perfectly, capturing the roller coaster of emotions that embody the plucky youngster, trapped like a bird in a cage, unable to spread her wings in the prime of her youth. Her Anne is lively, curious and outspoken, yet sometimes fearful and impertinent, as she tries to deal with her changing being and strange housemates. The three-years-older son of the Van Daans (Maggie Marks and Joel Dresang), Peter, who with his parents has joined the Franks in the annex, compares her constant chatter to a quacking duck. Anne and Peter’s relationship is a sweet respite from the bickering adults, who sometimes display the worst of their characters. Madeleine Craig, who played the role of Peter as the understudy, was marvelous as the shy teen who grows fond of Anne, bringing light to their dark days.
Anne Frank (Zaela Schlissel) shares a tender moment with her father (Randall T. Anderson) in a scene from Milwaukee Entertainment Group’s “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
Ella Curan strikes the right tone as Margot, the dutiful older sister of Anne, who, unlike Anne, is quiet and respectful, her mother’s favorite. Anne is much closer to her father and often does verbal battle with her mother (Pam Scheferman).
I also loved the portrayal of Marks as Mrs. Van Daan. Her relationship with her husband (Dresang) is volatile as they bicker constantly with each other and the others. Yet, in perhaps the most tender scene of the show – and one that shows how much they rely on each other for emotional strength – Mrs. Van Daan gently comforts her husband after he has been roundly chastised for stealing some bread from the group’s rations. With his head on her shoulder, she promises him, “If you’re hungry, just hold on to me.”
Another favorite scene shows Marks’ Mrs. Van Daan pleading desperately and defiantly with her husband, who needs to sell the fur coat her father gave her, the last vestige of her once-comfortable life, as their funds are steadily dwindling. The whole group had just enjoyed a piece of spice cake brought to them by their protectors, Miep Gies (Gabriella Ashlin) and Mr. Kraler (Chris Braunschweig). The room grows silent with the realization that the last of their comforts will soon disappear. The only sound is that of the difficult Mr. Dussel (Nate Press), a dentist who has lately joined the group, eagerly scraping his plate of cake crumbs, oblivious to the mood around him.
The eight occupants of the annex hideout gather in the main room in a scene from Milwaukee Entertainment Group’s “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
MEG’s basement theater at the Brumder Mansion proves an ideal setting for the story. Well-costumed characters occupy spaces all around the audience, spaces that are prop appropriate and nicely lit. While the main stage contains the kitchen table and main meeting area, just to the audience’s left is Anne and her sister Margot’s room. Later, Mr. Dussel joins Anne in her room, an untenable situation for both, while Margot joins her parents in theirs. To the right of the audience is a door used for the water closet, a place that causes much consternation since it can’t be used during the hours the factory below them is operating. The large Brumder basement also creates a good space for Peter’s attic room, which the boy shares with his cat. Plus, the 1910 building contains the right kind of ambience for the 1940s show.
This is the third production I’ve seen of this play over the years, and perhaps the finest as far as cast and staging.
If you go:
Who: Milwaukee Entertainment Group
What: “The Diary of Anne Frank”
When: Through Jan. 22
Where: Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Tickets: 414-388-9104