THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603280367
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Theater Review
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
``The Diary Of Anne Frank'' is the human and inhuman story of life in Holland during World War II, a story of hate and love based on the diary of a teenage Jewish girl.
Anne Frank was born in Germany, but her family moved to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution of Jews. There was no escape.
In 1942, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Frank family hid in a secret attic in an office building owned by a friend.
It was there that Anne kept her diary, which was published in 1947 and later made into a play and a film.
The COAST Players at College of the Albemarle are presenting the play on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.
The star is 14-year-old Amanda Chastain. She is a remarkable actress - as you watch her, you do not get the feeling you are watching her portray someone; you get the feeling she is that person.
The person in this case is vivacious, opinionated, in need of understanding from others, and herself.
Anne puts her feelings in a vivid, tender diary - feelings about her two years in cramped quarters, about the fear experienced every time a truck stops or troops march under her window, about the love she has for her father, the misunderstandings with her mother, the attempt to make friends with Peter Van Daan, a very shy teenage boy.
In speech, and expression, Rick Durren convinces us that he is that unsure, lacking-in-confidence loner.
The production is packed with flawless performances. Elizabeth A. LeBlanc and Cricket Fox as the Van Daans are two. A few extra plaudits to Ruth Pinner as the nervous Miss Dussel, David Ansink and Norma Jeffcoat as Mr. and Mrs. Frank - and Sebastian as Mouschi, Peter's pet. The beautiful, well-behaved black cat is uncanny. It seems to know all of its cues.
Yes, there is humor. You cannot survive under those circumstances without it.
And, there is beauty. In one of the play's many outstanding scenes - a warm, lovely, happy Hanukkah celebration - Ansink recites a holiday prayer in perfect Hebrew, never missing a beat.
There are no bad, nor even mediocre. scenes in this COAST production. A few of the finest: Mr. Van Daan caught hoarding bread, Anne and Peter expressing their feelings of love, Mrs. Frank crying because her daughter shuts her out of her life and, above all, the frightening finale.
``The Diary of Anne Frank,'' sharply directed by Sandy Boyce, is not only enhanced by the performers but by the set, lights, sound effects - all creating the perfect telltale mood.
Thanks to The COAST Players, you know that what you see on stage is exactly what happened during those terrible World War II years.
The play and the performers make it real and convincing. This is a don't-miss production. ILLUSTRATION: THEATER REVIEW
WHAT: ``The Diary Of Anne Frank,'' a COAST Players Production.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: Small Business Center Auditorium, College Of the
Albemarle, Elizabeth City.
by CNB