Review: “Anne Frank, a Musical”
French oratorio highlights educational, contemplative approach over commerciality
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Algerian-born, French composer Jean-Pierre Hadida is no stranger to musicalizing epic narratives for the French stage. His stage musical debut, an adaptation of The Odyssey “Ulysses, the Musical,” has been followed by the Nelson Mandela “Madiba the Musical”-- premiered in Paris before success in Senegal (in the presence of the President of the Republic and Mandela's grandson), Algeria, Tunisia, Australia, and New Zealand– as well as the recently acclaimed “Josephine Baker, the Musical" in Paris. But it was in 2009, encouraged by Claude-Michel Schönberg (“Les Misérables”), that Hadida turned to the courageous pages of Anne Frank’s diary to adapt “Anne le Musical” at the Theatre du Gymnase in Paris, gaining recognition from the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam and touring for ten years.
Returning now to a New York stage after a sold out English language premiere in 2019 at the Center for Jewish History, Hadida’s “Anne Frank, a Musical,” translated by Dylan Hadida, is now playing Off-Broadway at the Actors Temple Theatre through November 5. World-renowned Parisian-Moroccan opera singer and cultural impresario David Serero returns to guide the production with grace as producer, director, and star (as Otto Frank), seamlessly blending the crossroads of presentational European oratorio with the more intimate sensibilities of American musical theatre audiences into an educational, respectful, and contemplative evening honoring the universal legacy of one of the most important Jewish figures of the past century. The Actors Temple Theatre auditorium transforms perfectly into the iconic annex, its hapless wood-clad minimalism here a scenic design benefit ripe for the imagination.
Filling the intimate space is Hadida’s score, whittled down to a piano and cello. The piece is musically simplistic, reflecting a child’s perspective amid a chilling reality. Songs vary from the patter of naive love, to humorous married squabbles, to fearful introspections of “Where Will We All Go?” The cast’s climactic, hopeful “D-Day” exuberance seizes the audience in a gripping, visceral dramatic irony that remains hard to shake; nonetheless, the power of the American-led invasion seen and sung through the eyes of the oppressed as a symbol of deliverance is impossible not to see in additional modern contexts, adding poignant pain and perspective to an already sobering story. The musical deploys a framing device to dilute some of the heaviness of the subject matter to an emotionally approachable distance that I imagine is especially beneficial for families and children when the work tours; a boy (an earnest Alexander Ullian) encounters a museum exhibit and is thus learning about the events alongside the audience. The production flies through this device, however, preferring to dive headfirst into the heart of the story and taking advantage of the mature Off-Broadway audience’s age and pre-existing knowledge of the subject matter. The brisk pacing leaves little room for creative interpretation overall; rather the musical benefits from a directness and respectful adaptation of the source material that enhances the work with an educational, contemplative approach over commerciality.
A cast of twelve bring Anne’s ill-fated story to life. As the titular character, Zoey Burger shines with an earnest yearning for the world beyond her pages, capturing Anne’s impertinence as tragic curiosity and lust for life. Serero, as father Otto Frank, delivers his signature smooth style with ease and aplomb, grounding the musical in its operetta roots and soaring across the perfunctory melodies deserving a larger challenge. Hadida’s music pans out as mostly monotonous character commentary, lacking any ambitious character study or internal life in favor of describing scene and circumstance. While some of the poetry of the lyrics is lost in translation to the clunky phrases of English, Serero’s keen direction merges the direct simplicity of the music into presentational accessibility, wherein each character rotates moments to step up and shine. Of note, at the performance I attended, Liza Suzanna (understudy, all female roles) stepped up to make her Off-Broadway debut with few hours notice as older sister Margot, displaying an exemplary and intuitive chameleonic knack for the character’s wit and poise. Inhabiting the psychology and shoes of the persecuted before execution is no small feat (just ask last season’s cast of Broadway’s “Leopoldstadt”), but the ensemble dutifully and respectfully embody the perseverance of the human spirit to the best of their abilities within the confines of the straightforward score.
But in bringing the famous story to life, and more notably to the historically, comparatively peaceful, privileged shores of America, Serero’s direction astutely highlights the juxtaposition of our past and present in an emotional plea full of hope for humanity. The show succeeds where it entices audiences with a pervasive warmth centered on the strong bonds of given and found family; in every hug, in every glance, in every hand on shoulder, the tight ensemble deliver a message of unity and unbreakable bonds, ebbing and flowing and crashing together across the stage to create a swirling safe haven in the eye of a hurricane, moving together and bound as one. In the end, the show’s theme rings louder than the police sirens outside: “There’s only love.”
Production credits
“Anne Frank, a Musical”
Written by Jean-Pierre Hadida
Adapted into English by Dylan Hadida
Directed & produced by David Serero
The cast includes Zoey Burger (Anne Frank), David Serero (Otto Frank), Paloma Aisenberg (Edith Frank), Kelly Fuller (Peter), Yardèn Barr (Margot), Marko Dumancic (Hermann Van Pels), Shelby Joelle Cox (Augusta Van Pels), Aaron Penzel (Fritz Pfeffer), Madison Merlanti (Miep), Alexander Ullian (Narrator), Alina Garcia (Soloist + U/S all female roles), Liza Suzanna (U/S all female roles), Steven J. Harris (U/S all male roles), Benjamin Balatbat (piano), E. Zoe Hassman (cello).
The original 2019 cast recorded the world premiere Cast Album Recording of this musical (available on all platforms), and the video of the 2019 production is now available on VOD (vimeo.com/ondemand/annefrankamusical).
“Anne Frank, a Musical'' plays ten performances from October 11th to November 5th, 2023 at the Actors Temple Theatre (339 West 47th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenue), co-presented by Broadway Mad Production, Francine Disegni, Simon & Michal Kalfon. Tickets and performance times are available on telecharge.com.