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Critic’s pick: ‘Anne Frank: Within & Without’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Grade: B
At home and at school, Anne Frank was a little chatterbox. So her father gave her a diary and told her to write down her thoughts.
Her “Dear Kitty” letters, describing her family’s attempt to hide from the Nazis in an Amsterdam warehouse, would thus go on to become one of the most haunting literary relics of the 20th century.
Visiting the Dutch city a few years ago, Atlanta puppet artist Bobby Box was so moved by the Anne Frank House that he set about creating a dollhouse-style telling of the young woman’s story. First staged by the Center for Puppetry Arts in 2006, “Anne Frank: Within & Without” is getting a well-deserved second production through Feb. 17.
Elegantly conceived, fastidiously crafted and thoughtfully performed by Janet Metzger and Kristin Jarvis, the compelling memory play pays tribute to a tiny light that refused to go out. Even as one of the darkest menaces of modern history tried to obliterate her culture, Anne Frank insisted on the essential goodness of humankind.
Box’s writing may feel a tad labored at times, but the luminous dreams and cold realities of the young Jewish woman’s martyrdom are captured with grace and integrity. It is odd and unsettling — yet strangely comforting, too — to see Anne Frank tell her own story, like a little girl playing with dolls.
Through Feb 17. For ages 12 and up. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St., Midtown. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.
Comments
By Becky
January 30, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
I visited her home about 6 years ago & was also moved by the visit..I will be taking my nieces to see it..
By Calunda
January 30, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this
When are you white ppl gonna quit cryin’ about this girl? The so-called Holocaust is nothing compared to slavery on black people. Obama in 2008!
By Magenta
January 30, 2008 5:02 PM | Link to this
Oh, Calunda, what a hilarious world we live in. I may also vote for Obama, and I’m a half-Jewish white lady.
And we go on coexisting, breathing each other’s air.
Ain’t life grand?
Peace!
By Adam
January 30, 2008 5:20 PM | Link to this
Calunda,
ELEVEN MILLION innocent people were killed by the Nazi’s in the Holocaust. Yes, 6 million were Jews, but there were also 5 million non-Jews. The 5 million included gypsies, the handicapped, communists, and others.
So we will NEVER “quit cryin’ about this girl” or any other of the 11 million lost souls. We will NEVER forget, and we will ALWAYS fight to prevent any other genocide from taking place. Unfortunately, the world is still too damn slow to act, as seen in Rwanda in the 90’s and in Sudan now.
By Donna P.
January 30, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this
Wow, Calunda. What a racist statement to make. Slavery was a business decision and the Holocaust had to do with ethnic cleansing. Keep dreaming about Mr. Obama winning. He is up against the “Billary Machine” and she will get the Democratic nomination.
By WTF Donna
January 30, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
Donna, I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. Slavery was a “business decision” that resulted in millions dying (look up stats on how many died during transit/”storage”). does that make their deaths less horrifying than those from ethnic cleasing? i’m not arguing that either was worse than the other, although i tend to lean towards slavery (systematic, governemtn sunctioned, hundreds of years) but the whole argument is kind of silly. why not argue about what kind of terminal cancer is worse? see my point?
By JB
January 30, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
It’s nice to see there’s no shortage of idiots. People, why are you responding to the troll Calundra?
By So Sad
January 30, 2008 7:29 PM | Link to this
I cry for my country I cry for humans God is a lie why would he/she allow man’s inhumanity to man?
By Suffrage?
January 30, 2008 9:59 PM | Link to this
These comments lend support to the idea that this country no longer deserves democracy… you people need to get your facts and priorities straight.
By Kristin
February 9, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this
At the end of this production are the words: “The secret annex” (and by extension the legacy of Anne Frank) “is a reminder that the crimes and atrocities committed during the Holocaust must never be tolerated, ever, again, by anyone. It is the responsibility of all of us, it is the responsibility of each of us…” We must look back at our history, the history of all injustices perpetrated by man, and learn. I believe part of what brings us back to Anne Frank is her optimism in the face of such horror. Would she have maintained her belief that man is truly good at heart after living through the concentration camps? We will never know. But in order to continue living in this community, I feel we must have hope. A hope that we as a community will remember where hatred and prejudice lead us and act. Anne Frank was a typical teenage girl, but she is now also a symbol of that which is lost when we give in to fear and prejudice, where ever it may occur.