‘Anne Frank: The Musical’ To Premiere Off-Broadway In September
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By PJ Grisar May 28, 2019
A musical adaptation of the life of Anne Frank will make its U.S. premiere at the Center for Jewish History this September.
“Anne Frank, The Musical,” written by composer-playwright Jean-Pierre Hadida, made its debut in Paris in 2008.
Hadida is not the first to attempt to tell Frank’s story in a musical; Enid Futterman and Michael Cohen’s “Yours, Anne,” debuted Off-Broadway in 1985. It was not well received, with The Times calling it “soporific” and “always tasteful and just as consistently inert.” There was also a Spanish musical from 2008 called “The Diary of Anne Frank: A Song to Life” with a book by Jaime Azpilicueta and music and lyrics by Jose Luis Tierno. That show was controversial in part for having the blessing of the Anne Frank Foundation, caretakers of the Amsterdam museum based in the house in which the Franks hid, but not the Anne Frank Fund, then headed by her last surviving relative, cousin Buddy Elias, who died in 2015.
The Center for Jewish History production will be directed by David Serero, who also stars as Otto Frank. Performances begin September 11.
Correction, May 29, 3:02 p.m.: An earlier version of this article misidentified a Madrid production as the Hadida musical. The Madrid production mentioned was of a different musical, “The Diary of Anne Frank: A Song to Life.”
PJ Grisar is the Forward’s culture intern. He can be reached at [email protected]
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
