"The Diary of Anne Frank"

 Earlier this week, we attended a performance of the Pittsburgh Public Theater's initial presentation of its 2015-16 season, "The Diary of Anne Frank".  Like so many of you, I read this book in high school (no doubt before I could fully appreciate it) and had seen the movie many years ago, but this was the first time that I had ever seen a stage production of this play (a Tony Award winner for Best Play in 1955).

When telling someone about this the other night, I used the phrase "hope in the midst of horror" in describing this play.  The story of Anne Frank and her famous diary is well known, and it is still a story that is hard to grasp.  It is a story that cannot be told often enough.  There is a reason, I suppose, why "The Diary of Anne Frank" remains required reading in high schools today (or, at least, I hope it remains required reading).

We have been attending plays at the PPT, a jewel in the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's crown, since the 1980's, and I cannot recall having seen a better production than this one, nor one that captivated and moved the audience as did this one.  This is a production that should be seen by as many people as possible.

Here is a picture of Remy Zaken, the lovely twenty-six year old actress who plays Anne Frank on stage at the O'Reilly Theater.  She is wonderful in it, as is the rest of the cast.