Upon entering the Studio Theatre at Regent, my first time to have attended any production at this venue, I was immediately struck by the intimacy of the setting. The playing area was set up as theatre in the round, with a small "extension" in the corner of the playing space for the loft which was Peter's room. The performance area was close enough to the audience that I could have reached out and touched the actors. A perfect setting, I thought, that would allow the opportunity for the audience to become part of the play. As I sat in the theatre I noticed the light spilling onto the stage as part of the "preset" lighting... a gobo of the face of Anne Frank. Subtle, yet compelling.

The closer it got to the curtain time of 8pm the more my anticipation rose. I scanned the playing area and was impressed with the starkness of everything. The set was almost a sepia tone, similar to a slightly faded black and white photo. The only color onstage would be the actors and their costumes. Interesting concept. 8pm, no "curtain." Well, being an open set there was no curtain, but the house lights didn't fade. Several minutes passed and the audience became a little restless. Then we heard the opening strains of music. "Lily Marlene" wafted through the theatre, first in German and then English. A popular song on both sides during World War II. As I listened I thought, "That's Marlene Dietrich." Attention to detail in something as simple as this continued to heighten my anticipation.

The lights finally faded and the show opened. And as I sat watching the action I became more and more disappointed. As an actor and director there's one thing that drives me absolutely crazy - watching talent being wasted because of unfocused direction.

Here is a wonderful play, one that rarely fails to affect an audience, being performed at times with all the subtlety of a Mac truck.

PRISCILLA HUMMEL in the lead role of Anne is the driving force of this show as both narrator and participant. And we need to see within her character youthful vitality, with a wisdom beyond her years but also an innocence that allows something as simple as a first kiss to transform her. What I witnessed was a very American interpretation of what should be a very 1940's European sensibility of childhood. Peter Van Daan (TORY HELGESON) refers to Anne as "Mrs. Quack-Quack," a nickname that she picked up in school as a non stop talker. A 12 year old that talks constantly is not unusual, but it needs to be done as a child, not as someone trying to be the center of attention. This is how it played, and we never come to appreciate all that is Anne Frank. The opportunity to see the transformation of her from child to young woman, which occurs during the play, never really happened. This should have especially happened in the "realization" scene she has with Peter, which culminates in a kiss. Throughout the scene I didn't see the sincerity of a young girl but rather a manipulative flirt trying to get what she came for. Innocence lost never happened.

What was even worse, I didn't feel any sense of community among the players. The cast consists of ten people: the Frank family; Otto (MARK ZILLGES), Edith (KELLY WHITESEL), Margot (BRANDY R. CALDWELL), and Anne (PRISCILLA HUMMEL), the Van Dann's; (JUSTIN GLINN, ROBBIN PAGE SHARP, and TORY HELGESON), Mr. Dussel (KEVIN JAMES STIDHAM), Mr. Kraler (RYAN MCINTIRE) and Miep (CLAIRE SLAVOVSKY). A cast this small should have come together as an ensemble, if for no other reason than because it's a small group. There were times during the show that I wondered if they even knew each other.

The Franks are going into hiding to evade the Nazis and Green Police. They have taken their friends the Van Daans into hiding with them. These are people who should know each other outside of this situation, at least on a social level if not a familiar one. The only "stranger" to this situation is Mr. Dussel, a Jewish dentist who is brought in later by Mr. Kraler. His sense of being a stranger is normal, but as the action takes place over a two year period there should be a sense of close intimacy among the participants. Imagine being cooped up with not just your family but other people in a confined space where the slightest sound at the wrong time might mean your discovery. You now have a sense of what it was like for the people being presented in this play. Close relationships might become closer, and those that were not too good to start with might become outright nasty. Community. I didn't see it much.

Mr. Frank's close relationship with Anne is one of the driving themes in this show. But as I watched MARK ZILLGES comfort PRISCILLA HUMMEL after a nightmare I wondered if he had ever comforted a child in his life. There was no fatherly emotion, no sense of paternal understanding, in short I was watching an actor act. I saw a lot of acting in this show, and the one thing that will kill a performance faster than anything else is when the audience sees the wheels turning.

The climax of the show comes right before the end as their hiding place is discovered and the authorites are breaking down the door. Just prior to this Anne has gone into Peter's room and is talking with him about the entire situation. She then gives us one of the lines that she is most famous for, "I believe people are really good at heart." As she looks through the skylight she calls to his attention the sky and the hope that she has. It is at this moment the police arrive.

The director of this show (MARK PALADINI) started to set this moment of great tension well. We hear the sound of the car pulling up outside, the doors slamming shut and the shouting in German as they break down the outside door, the shouts continue and come closer as they come upstairs to the hidden doorway which provides the entrance to the hiding place. The shouting continues and morphs into a Hitler speech which results in a rising din of shouts of "Sieg Heil." My eyes finally started to moisten, the hair rose on my arms, and I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat as memories of the "Final Solution" came into my mind. The suddenly it all stopped and Mr. Frank deliverd a line of dialog followed by a little wail from Mrs. Van Dann.

My emotions also stopped suddenly as what was a very powerful moment was crushed by this directorial oversight.