Reviewed by Judy Richter
Palo Alto Players is staging it in an adaptation by Wendy Kesselman.
It's based on the diary kept by a teenage Jewish girl who, along with her family and others, hid from the Nazis in a factory annex in Amsterdam from 1942 to 1944. Then when they were captured and sent off to their eventual deaths, except for her father, who somehow survived.
Joining the title character, played by Roneet Aliza Rahamim, were her father, Otto (Vic Prosak); mother, Edith (Kelly Rinehart); and older sister, Margot (Megan Bartlett).
Their tight quarters were shared by another family, Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan (Shawn Bender and Rachel Michelberg), and their son, Peter (Anthony Stephens), who was about three years older than Anne. Also with them was a dentist, Mr. Dussel (Tom Bleecker).
The only links these eight people had to the outside world were two sympathetic Christians, Miep Gies (Clara Caruthers Reese) and Mr. Kraler (John Musgrave).
At first they were buoyed by hope that Amsterdam would soon be liberated, but as the weeks and months wore on, hope diminished, as did their food, money and other necessities.
Because they were atop a factory that was still operating, they had to be absolutely still during working hours. They couldn't talk, wear shoes or flush their one toilet.
All of these hardships led to inevitable conflicts along with pervasive fear of being discovered, yet somehow Anne remained optimistic.
She also matured, as embodied in Rahamim's performance, which shows her character evolving from a giggly, talkative sometimes annoying kid to a more thoughtful, caring young woman.
As directed by Dennis Lickteig, the other actors illustrate their characters' reactions to increasingly trying circumstances.
Although there's a static element to the production because of the dreary, cramped quarters (set by Kuo-Hao Lo with lighting by Selina G Young), and although the tragic outcome is well known, it's still thought-provoking and timely, especially in light of the current American political scene.
In his program notes, PAP artistic director Patrick Klein said he purposely chose to produce this play at this time. "It's important to remember that these events occurred not 200 years ago, or 500, but roughly 70 years ago, only a lifetime from our own. They can happen again, and it's up to us to remember, retell and remain vigilant against even the hint of tyranny," he wrote.
PAP's production is enhanced by Shannon Maxham's costumes and Jeff Grafton's sound design, which includes some of the terrifying sounds heard by the annex residents.