Andrew Gillies (10/04 Diary of Anne Frank)
Excerpt from Now Toronto 10/14/04: Andrew Gillies
Anne off: Director smudges Diary Of Anne Frank
BY Jon Kaplan jonkap@nowtoronto.com
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman, directed by Alexander Galant, with Jennifer Waiser, Andrew Gillies, Carol Lempert, Shira Leuchter, Sarah Dodd, Philip Shepherd, Gabe Plener, Kelly Bolt and Eric Weinthal. Presented by Marshall Arts at the Bathurst Street Theatre (736 Bathurst). Runs to November 7, Wednesday-Saturday 8 pm, matinee Sunday 2 pm. $25-$35. 416-872-1212. Rating: NN
It's great that almost all the school matinees of The Diary Of Anne Frank are sold out. The Holocaust is a tragic part of history that shouldn't be forgotten. It's too bad, though, that audiences don't get a better production than this poorly directed one by Alexander Galant .
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Jennifer Waiser has the right instincts for the title role, from her initial impetuosity and playfulness to her optimism and newborn wisdom, but her Anne is a successful creation only toward the play's end. The stressful episodes with her mother ( Carol Lempert ) always ring true, though, and Lempert's initially fearful, later angry Mrs. Frank grows in strength in the second act.
That second half gives a few other actors a chance to develop their characters. Sarah Dodd 's Mrs. Van Daan, at first shallow and silly, reveals a new side when she talks revealingly about meeting her husband. Similarly, Andrew Gillies 's previously stiff Mr. Frank lovingly delivers the final speech about the attic's residents. Kelly Bolt 's Miep brings warmth to the show whenever she's onstage.
© Now Toronto
Excerpt from Echo World 10/04: Andrew Gillies
Anne Frank - Enduring Lesson
October, 2004 - Nr. 10
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
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The newest Toronto production of Anne Frank, by Marshall Arts and directed by Alexander Gallant, does just that. For the first time there are previously missing elements included, that make the story more relevant for those interested in the subject of religious freedom, or the -still- absence thereof.
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The production in the Bathurst Street Theatre in Toronto features very fine talent across the board, right down to the very smallest parts.
Jennifer Waiser is already quite a known tour de force with her 26 years. Playing Anne Frank was a challenge close to her heart. Of course she feels that this story needs to be told again and again, "so we never forget", as she put it in the many interviews she gave. But this is not the only reason, or perhaps not even the most important one.
She gave a sparkling performance of a child growing into womanhood, with all the attributes one would expect of such a person: curiosity, defiance, love of life. It was easy to recognize some of the same human feelings and attributes in young women today.
Andrew Gillies, a Shaw Festival veteran, was a caring and concerned father, husband, friend, and sadly - a sole survivor.
© Echo World