
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 18, 1995                   TAG: 9502220013
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KATHERINE REED STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

YOUNG ACTRESS BRINGS A SPARK TO 'ANNE FRANK'

That Anne Frank was a bright light during the many dark months her family was in hiding in an Amsterdam attic is completely clear in Abigail Johnson's portrayal of her in the Showtimers production of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

Johnson is an actress who seems more experienced than her years, and - along with Michael Mansfield as her father, Otto Frank - helps bring some polish to this production, which is directed by Linda LaPrade.

The setting is the attic above a factory owned by a Mr. Kraler (Gene Galvin) who, along with Miep Gies (Sonya McMillion), a friend of the family, helps the Franks into hiding along with the annoying Van Daans (Ken Schoff and Inez Farrell) and their son Peter.

Peter was played by Kevin Ritz in Thursday's night performance, gamely filling in for an ailing Dallas Washburn. Ritz was not an understudy and, all things considered, did an amazing job.

With Johnson "narrating" the story (reading sections of Anne's diary), the play chronicles the period of hiding from the beginning until the day the families are discovered by the Nazis. The tiny set, with its even tinier bedrooms to the left, right and above, helps convey a sense of the claustrophobic conditions in which the hidden lived.

Adding to the tension is the arrival of the dentist Albert Dussell (Eric Bollinger), who has never had children and must now share a room with the headstrong, energetic Anne.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to sustain a sense of the European setting when an occasional ``y'all'' slips into the dialogue. Only Mansfield attempts an accent of any sort.

Still, those unfamiliar with the story of Anne Frank, who almost lived to see liberation day and once wrote that she wanted "to go on living after [her] death" may enjoy this production and come away with a somewhat greater appreciation of how she lived the final years of her short life.

``The Diary of Anne Frank'': Feb. 16-26, Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday matinee, 2 p.m., Showtimers Studio Theatre, 774-2660.

by CNB