WHEN 13-year-old Jewish girl Anne Frank began filling the pages of a diary while in hiding in Amsterdam, she could scarcely have dreamed her words would still be reaching people more than 70 years on.

Director Lynne Kerr's bold choice for Richmond Amateur Dramatic Society's spring production amply demonstrated the commitment and versatility of its membership in a moving tribute to the wartime teenager.

The talented Freya Mawhinney gave a spirited performance, illuminating the two-year transformation from “quicksilver Anne”, who could barely contain her youthful energy, to a young woman experiencing a fledgling romance and learning to relate to others within a highly claustrophobic setting.

Bruce Cunningham and Sue Tandy were highly credible as the stoical Otto and Edith Frank, while Warnock Kerr and Ruth Shaw consummately portrayed the edginess between Mr and Mrs van Daan.

The set was cleverly constructed on multiple levels to convey the sense of the two families living on top of one another, and the sepia tones of scenery and costumes cast a melancholy hue. Narrating from beneath a single spotlight, Anne drew the audience into her inner world, sharing her indefatigable optimism amid the increasingly intolerable conditions.

The haunting tones of the violin, the hint of German-Jewish accents and the clipped British tones of the BBC radio broadcasts all added to the solemn atmosphere which was brutally shattered by the arrival of the German officers. The sound of a train and a blood curdling scream spoke volumes and there was a deeply touching silence as Otto Frank returned to their abandoned quarters as the sole survivor.

This well acted, well constructed, carefully considered piece perfectly encapsulated the horror of the holocaust. I think Anne would have been pleased with the enthusiastic appreciation it solicited from a packed house.

Christina McIntyre