Frank Portrayal Round House Succeeds in Showing Holocaust Horror Through New Script by Heather Nalbone The epilogue Wendy Kesselman chose for her adapted version of "The Diary of Anne Frank," delivered by the familyís only Holocaust survivor, Anneís father Otto, is far more chilling than the conclusion of the 1959 screenplay by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Thatís not to say the original adaptation of the young girlís meditations by the creators of "Itís a Wonderful Life" has not moved generations of viewers. It is to say, however, that the Round House Theatre succeeds tremendously in portraying the horror of the Holocaust through Kesselmanís new script, and has an exceptional staff to thank for a stirring delivery. Kesselmanís variation on the original play, which opened on Broadway in 1997 with Natalie Portman in the title role, incorporates passages from Anneís diary that were previously deemed too shocking for 1950s viewers. The new versionóbased on the 1995 uncensored publicationóincludes the teenagerís conflict with her mother, her sexual curiosity, her anger with the Germans and her self-identity as a Jew. Although the script clearly calls for a high-spiri ted, boisterous Anne (played by Lea Michele) who overshadows her family and their four friends, it also uses humor to portray her perceived shyness with Peter Van Daan (played by Peter Stadlen), his parentsí pampered attitudes (Sherri L. Edelen and Rick Roucheux), and Edith Frankís favoritism of Anneís sister Margot (Bess Rous). Kesselman takes some historical liberties, but does so to show the best and worst of humanity brought out by the extremities of closed-quarter living. Stadlenís voice is a bit too monotone in his portrayal of the young Van Daan, and Micheleís intense attempts to portray Anneís immaturity seem a little over the top, although her overexcited jumps and laughs quell as the play progresses. Where the acting fumbles in places, the stage set is about as perfect as they come for smaller community-driven theaters. Director Rebecca Bayla Taichman and her colleagues do not, thankfully, take the adaptation so far as to modernize the backdrop or costume design. Just as they have in other stellar productions such as "The Drawer Boy," the Round House delivers a fantastic stage set that transforms the theaterís small platform into a multi-level playhouse with props that serve a significant role in storytelling. The 1940s costume wardrobe also serves an important function, used in various ways to signify the passing of time through the seasons. Sound designer Martin Desjardins does an outstanding job of enhancing the performance with wartime radio snippets and outdoor noises. Combined with Daniel MacLean Wagnerís well-conceived lighting, the two even manage to make the on-stage suggestion of nightmares unnerving. For instance, through a barbed wire fence, her head shaved and body covered with lice, we see Anne, saying, "I have no one left in the world." The Franks moved into a secret annex in Amsterdam in 1942, shortly after Margot Frank, then 16, received a notice to report for deportation to a labor camp. Two years later, the family was betrayed and transported just as the Allies began their invasion. Anne and Margot were on the last train to depart for Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where the sisters died within days of each other. It was survivors such as Elie Wiesel ("No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night") who brought the tremendous terror of Auschwitz and other concentration camps into living rooms and libraries throughout the world. But Anne Frank remains the human face of the Holocaust, and the timeless significance of her story is played out spectacularly at the Round House Theatre. For all the ironies of Kesselmanís adapted play, perhaps the saddest is expressed in the first act by the character of Mr. Dussel (Mitchell HÈbert), the dentist who goes into hiding with the Franks and Van Daans: "Itís impossible to escape unless you go into hiding." Like much of the rest of the production, the tragic fate that follows plays out in an ending thatís far different from the original. "The Diary of Anne Frank" runs through Dec. 12 at the Round House Theatre, on East-West Highway and Waverly Street in Bethesda, Md. For more information, please call (240) 644-1100 or visit www.round-house.org. Heather Nalbone is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.