The Diary of Anne Frank prepares to take a bow.

After delays, 'Diary of Anne Frank' Scores Big

 The stage version of the literary masterpiece "The Diary of Anne Frank" was produced at Mill Mountain Theatre nearly 60 years ago when the theater was, indeed, on Mill Mountain. It was scheduled for the 2020 season, but Covid-19 erased that opportunity. So, it was with great anticipation that the story of eight members of two families shunted away in an Amsterdam attic, hiding from the Nazi monsters debuted this week at MMT.

And the wait was worth it in this Wendy Kesselman adaptation, starring a stellar local cast, backed by  Broadway veterans and with superb stagecraft in evidence from the stark set to lighting, costuming, sound and all the details that comprise a first-class production. 

The starring role here goes to Cave Spring High School student Elise LeGault who anchors the play as Anne Frank, a pubescent live wire with an unusual gift for the written word. Miss LeGault shines as the little girl emerging into young womanhood, ebullient, curious, funny and discovering what being a woman means, even as she fully enjoys her childhood in confinement.

Griffin Shaver, another Cave Spring student, plays the young boy who grabs Anne's fancy and supplies her first kiss. Both of these youngsters have been in MMT mainstage performances previously. The third young performer in the cast is Lilah Vanke, who plays Anne's sister with a degree of expertise.

Broadway is represented vividly with Jane Labanz as Anne's mother and Jonathan Brody as her father. It is left to Brody, as Otto Frank, the only survivor of the two families hiding in the attic to explain the emotional ending of the families in Nazi concentration camps. It is a vivid, troubling performance that left the audience (about 2/3 of a house) pin-drop quiet.

The remainder of the cast is a mixture of pros and local amateurs: veteran Scott Watson, who has substantial regional theatre credits, as well as a film and TV background; Amanda Lea Mason, with Broadway and TV credits; Jeffrey McGuillion, who has been in a number of MMT productions; Roanoker Sarah Coleman, a Radford University grad; and Drew Callahan, a member of the theatre's carpentry team and an actor of substance.

As difficult as this material is (and for some it requires a crying towel), I would strongly recommend it for kids from middle school (Anne's age in the 1940s) through high school. It is a powerful story of grace in the face of one of the ugliest moments in human history and the courage of a young girl who preserved it for us, putting a face on the horrors of Nazism.

Call the box office at 540-342-5740 for tickets. Ticket prices are reduced for student groups at the 10 a.m. matinees.