Lin Pollitt’s staging of the Anne Frank story begins with an atmospheric epilogue, as Otto Frank, survivor of the camps, discovers his daughter’s diary. It will be her immortality – her tragedy will stand for the suffering of millions.
She is played here by Claire Hilder, who neatly captures her bright-eyed innocence, her showing off, her teasing, tender relationship with Peter (Richard Spong). He’s excellent as the shy teenager, acutely aware of his fate. “Who’s going out?” he asks as he cuts the Star of David off his coat.
The open-plan achterhuis brings fluidity to the action, but is less successful at suggesting the claustrophobia of the secret annexe.
But the fraught atmosphere, everyone on edge, is well suggested, with sounds of soldiers on the street and aircraft overhead.
MICHAEL GRAY
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