The Diary of Anne Frank, Dramatized By Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (Based Upon the Book, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Genres: Plays, School

121 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Sarah Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait to do this with my eighth graders again. I look forward to this text and unit every year and they get so invested! It really is a great play and a near-perfect translation of her diary to a stage production. Heartbreaking, of course, but beautiful.

[Juliana]

first time reading this, reading it with my eighth graders soon..... they're not a very talkative bunch so idk how a play will go over but we'll see

update: they actually really enjoyed it and were into it!! very happy with how this went in class

[Anna Muthalaly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Pulitzer winner was actually revised by Wendy kesselman in 1997, and I have read both versions and can confidently say the original is better.

I have also read the diary of a young girl, and am impressed by how this play translates the medium of a diary to a play, with seamless interweaving between the activities of Anne’s life on stage and voiceovers detailing passages from her diary. Of course, tons and tons from the diary is left out in order to make a 2 hour stage show, but what’s included does a fairly solid job of depicting Anne as she was, mercurial and confused and straining toward her future. While I appreciate that the 1997 revision includes more actual Hebrew, I feel this version does a better job of showing Anne’s honesty and frankness. Her actual diary is quite vivid in terms of describing her body, what menstruation is like, her desire to kiss her girlfriends, etc etc. those aspects of Anne aren’t directly represented in this, but they are hinted at in ways I found satisfying. I also got a sense of the interpersonal dynamics in this that I’ve never really gotten from the diary itself, perhaps because these lines are meant to be spoken by real people and not directly through the funnel of Anne

I also think the ending of this version, brutal as it is, reveals itself in a sharper and thus more successful way than the 1997 version

Overall, nothing miraculous in terms of the medium, but a good play and a strong adaptation.

This is the 33rd play I read in my quest to conquer the Pulitzer Prize for drama.

[Schwarzer_Elch · Rating 4 out of 5]

No he leído El diario de Anne Frank; sin embargo, su versión teatral, como texto dramatúrgico, me ha parecido una de las mejores obras de teatro que he leído en muchísimo tiempo. Vi su versión escénica en Lima y creo que, lamentablemente, no estuvo a la altura.

[Lauren McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The diary of Anne Frank has always been a fantastic read. The play is a bit harder to read with the stage directions, but I could still grasp all of the characters' desperation and emotions.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Frank's story is so important. This narration is so special and heartbreaking, and it made me connect to the families on a deep level. One of my favorite reads ever.