Albert Hackett (1900–1995)

More hard hitting than the original play. While I love the original, this version of the original does not let the audience by passive bystanders. Instead it keeps the horrific reality center while exploring the lives of these eight people in hiding. A hard reminder of the atrocities that have happened and the ones that could still happen.

The stage adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank, dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, is faithful to the words and tone of the source material whilst still adding the dramatic scenes necessary for a successful play. The scenery, as described, brings out the claustrophobic setting that those in the attic had to endure while hidden from the oppressive Nazi occupation in Amsterdam, and in such a setting the tension and bickering portrayed was sure to follow. The stage directions show more and dialogue for the actors are beautifully nuanced, hitting just the right notes of emotions throughout. The reader can easily picture the scenes as performed, and therefore have a greater insight into the actual events as depicted in Anne Frank’s diary. show less

As a teen I performed the role of Anne in this play. Since then I have taught it as part of the middle school curriculum, most recently, this year. The play presents a rather hokey,simplified, sentimentalized picture of Anne and much of it does not hold up to actual accounts from Miep Gies and from the diary itself. Per the suggestion of the Core Curriculum, I taught it this year as part of the Holocaust unit for 7th grade. The main reason I used it was it was we had a set available, and show more funding is tight. However, it is seriously inadequate for this purpose. In the future I will use excerpts from the diary, Night, other 1st hand accounts and a fiction work such as The Book Thief or Milkweed. That said the students enjoy the play. show less

As a teen I performed the role of Anne in this play. Since then I have taught it as part of the middle school curriculum, most recently, this year. The play presents a rather hokey,simplified, sentimentalized picture of Anne and much of it does not hold up to actual accounts from Miep Gies and from the diary itself. Per the suggestion of the Core Curriculum, I taught it this year as part of the Holocaust unit for 7th grade. The main reason I used it was it was we had a set available, and show more funding is tight. However, it is seriously inadequate for this purpose. In the future I will use excerpts from the diary, Night, other 1st hand accounts and a fiction work such as The Book Thief or Milkweed. That said the students enjoy the play. show less