Young actor captivates as Anne Frank at LCCT

People sometimes attend performances of “The Diary of Anne Frank” and do not realize that it is a true story. The Las Cruces Community Theatre’s current production, directed by Norman Lewis, makes certain that audiences know that Anne Frank’s tale is distressing non-fiction.

Her story is detailed in the diary she had just started when she went into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam in 1942. Her two years of writings were not merely adolescent musings; she consciously crafted a draft of this diary documenting the experience of eight Jews in hiding during the Holocaust with the intention of it being read widely. Though her world did so much to negate the value of her voice, she remarkably felt that her viewpoint was important, and she intended to oversee the publishing of her writing. At the time of her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, she had no way of knowing that her father would live and oversee the publishing of her work.

Far from merely being published, the work has been translated into at least 70 languages and sold over 30 million copies. Significantly, though her father had used his own discretion in its initial editing, future revisions of the work have usually focused on honoring the diarist’s intended content.

This script was adapted from Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett’s 1953 version by Wendy Kesselman in 1997. While its Broadway debut might have been most recognized for its 16-year-old star Natalie Portman, many of the female playwright’s revisions resonate with modern youth.

At last weekend’s matinee, it was heartwarming to see so many parents bringing their children to witness this powerful story. During a remarkable passage taken straight from the first diary, Anne describes the experience of her first menstrual cycles as “a sweet secret.” Considering the unnecessary shame carried by so many generations of young women whose bodies prepare to possibly bare children, it was fun to watch the siblings seated in front of me acknowledge Frank’s radical words.

Lewis’ capable direction always attracts strong actors and designers, so the storytelling also warranted large audiences. Notably, there was no curtain speech, emphasizing focus on the introductory slides of text detailing the context of the narrative. Many around me affirmed my feeling that the text-heavy projections moved too quickly for most readers, but the essence was clear: The story is true.

A marker of a Lewis-directed cast is that every actor, no matter how small the role, is certain of their individual purpose in the larger point of the play. From the impeccable leading lady Mia Berkson as Anne to the versatile Brad Cristian Martinez as one of three intruding Nazis, the performances are calibrated to convey the story effectively.

Berkson, who has performed seven roles for LCCT, is free of the roboticism that inflicts many child actors. Her Anne is inquisitive, genuine, optimistic, infuriated and playful. She takes the turns of a complex, hormonal teen with ease and her lengthy speeches are captivating. The audience could benefit from her raising her focal point so that we can witness the expression in her eyes more consistently during monologues in which she is not writing.

As Anne’s mother, Nora Brown honors the complications of the loving but tense relationship many parents experience with their precocious, somewhat rebellious teens. Lauren Roman and Logan Ivy bring a poetic sensibility to the roles of Anne’s introverted sister Margot and reserved love interest Peter respectively. Dustin Wright and Eric DuMond inhabit the roles of lovable, multi-faceted fathers thoughtfully. There is a fun heightened quality to Shari DuMond’s dramatic Mrs. van Daan and Hannah Dalager’s good-doing Miep Gies.

Designers James Billings (scenic), Dan Robillard (lighting), Jamie Sharp (costumes), Jonathan Danielson (hair) and Lennie Brown (properties) supported the story well, doing little to pull us from the 1940s world in which we were to be enrapt. LCCT has long benefited from the expertise and tireless effort of Doug Roby, who served as technical director.

Performances of this worthwhile collaboration continue through October 20. Details can be found at LCCTNM.org.