The Forward: The Diary of Anne Frank’s premiere at the Cort Theatre in autumn of 1955 was a typical Broadway opening. Until it wasn’t.
The play had just completed an out-of-town tryout at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and the reviews had been good.
“It was a big deal; it went very well,” Eva Rubinstein, who played the role of Margot Frank, told me of the Philadelphia run. “They made some minor changes, but not a lot, and the same cast came to New York.”
Even so, the cast was nervous.
1 comment:
I had never heard this story before, and it’s both unsurprising and fascinating. I actually haven’t seen this show - I’ve always been intending to, especially because it’s relevant to me. Firstly, it is wonderful that this story was even told, and that it was so well received; it’s even more wild to think about how fresh the Holocaust still was to people and their families when it premiered. The silence after the curtain is a haunting and beautiful image. What shocks me, honestly, is that this is not an uncommon show for high schools to perform, despite how incredibly heavy it is, and that as Rubinstein says, is “a responsibility” in many ways. It’s interesting how universal Anne Frank has become. Brooke did a Diary of Anne Frank acro solo on Dance Moms at Nationals in season 2, and she won. I am somewhat relieved to see Holocaust literature still incorporated in school curriculum (Night, Maus, etc.) - I find that both the art that came from, and is about the Holocaust always has an inherent feel of weight and importance. I think this is part of why the audience couldn't bring themselves to clap. You're incredibly moved, but also being affected by something that's bigger than you, and you can feel that.
Post a Comment