Lyceum preview: 'The Diary of Anne Frank' opens Saturday

Heather Schmidt (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Based on "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," edited by Otto Frank, the play written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, has been newly adapted by Wendy Kesselman.

"Unless you write yourself, you can't know how wonderful it is. When I write I shake off all my cares. But I want to achieve more than that. I want to be useful and bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death," Anne Frank wrote in her diary.

Heather Schmidt will be making her Lyceum debut playing Anne. Recently, she has been traveling the country with the Montana Repertory's national tour of "To Kill a Mockingbird" as Dill. Her past roles include Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet," Alice in "Closer," and Susan Kerner in "Veronica's Room."

Playing Anne's mother, Edith, is Lyceum favorite Kat Singleton. She recently won a Kevin Kline Award for outstanding ensemble performance for the New Jewish Theatre's production of "What's Wrong With This Picture." Kat is particularly excited about playing Edith because she gets to work with one of her favorite actors, her daughter Heather Schmidt.

David Girolmo, making his third appearance this season on the Lyceum stage, plays Anne's devoted father, Otto. Girolmo's past performances in Arrow Rock include Fred Graham in "Kiss, Me Kate" and John Hancock in "1776." Other credits include the Broadway revival of "Candide," "Passion" with Patti LuPone, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Sweeney Todd" and "Phantom of the Opera." Girolmo is a multiple Joseph Jefferson nominee and winner.

The role of Mrs. Van Daan is being played by Peggy Billo. She is another Lyceum favorite, most recently seen in Arrow Rock as Penelope Sycamore in "You Can't Take it With You." Billo's acting talents have been showcased in several Missouri theaters including STAGES ST. LOUIS, New Jewish Theatre, Muddy Waters and the Ozark Actor's Theatre. In Los Angeles, Peggy appeared in "BunBury" and "The Pagans." Her television credits include "3rd Rock From the Sun," "7th Heaven" and "Bold and the Beautiful."

Mr. Van Daan is played by Lyceum favorite Alan Knoll. His favorite roles include Velasco in "Barefoot in the Park," Boolie in "Driving Miss Daisy," a gangster in "Kiss Me, Kate" and Elwood P. Dowd in "Harvey." Knoll is based out of St. Louis and has enjoyed 10 seasons with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis' Imaginary Theatre Company.

Ron Wisniski, in his third role at the Lyceum this season, plays Mr. Dussel. Wisniski was most recently seen in his hilarious turn as the Russian dance instructor, Boris Kolenkhov, in "You Can't Take it With You" and as Horace Vandergelder in "Hello, Dolly!" Wisniski's many theatrical credits number more than 100 plays and musicals throughout the country.

Rounding out the cast are Scears Lee IV as Peter Van Daan, Maggie Wetzel as Margot Frank, Ashlee Lapine as Miep Gies, Andrew Wells as Mr. Kraler, Wade Hughes, Garrett Schnathorst and Lance Weinhardt.

Helming this production is Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Artistic Director Steven Woolf. He directed the regional premieres of both "Frost/Nixon" and "The History Boys" at the Rep. Woolf serves as a panelist and a site evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts and is an adjunct faculty member at Webster University. He is also a Lyceum favorite, having previously directed "The Sunshine Boys," "The Boys Next Door," "Born Yesterday," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Lion in Winter," "Wait Until Dark," "Driving Miss Daisy," "Crimes of the Heart," "Camelot" and "The Dresser."

Other production credits include scenic design by Dunsi Dai, lighting design by Randy B. Winder and costume design by John Metzner. Tony Dearing is production stage manager and Emilee Buchheit is the assistant stage manager.

Long before "Schindler's List," "The Pianist" or "Life is Beautiful," "The Diary of Anne Frank" opened a window into the human heart of the Holocaust. Focusing on hope rather than despair and resilience rather than defeat, Anne Frank's story continues to inspire us today.

"The world lost Anne's amazing voice, but the world gained a real first hand chronicle of a hidden existence that helped to expose the real dangers of this dark time in a very personal way," said Woolf. "And Anne's diary also showed there were heroes risking their very lives to help those caught in a frightening vise."

There will be six matinee performances "The Diary of Anne Frank" at 2 p.m. on Aug. 8, 9, 12, 13 and 15. Four evening performances are scheduled for Aug. 8, 12, 14 and 15.

For tickets, visit the Lyceum website at www.lyceumtheatre.org or call 660-837-3311.