Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...But it's Anne's diary. She is why the people in this attic have come to represent so many millions, why their story has survived, and why it remains so extraordinary in the telling, especially in shared space."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Under Kimberly Senior’s direction (which uses the Wendy Kesselman adaptation of the original Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett script), this production starts off a bit slowly and stiffly, but gradually builds in intensity as it moves to its conclusion — a finale as devastating as it is inevitable."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...As Anne, Sophie Thatcher has mastered the art of flitting about, but she can't enliven the show's wooden diary passages, which quickly begin to feel like the device they are, diffusing the play's mounting tension. And while I'd argue there's a certain solemnity involved in portraying Anne's father, Otto Frank, a man weighed down by sacrifice, Sean Fortunato treats the part with unsettling frivolity and casualness. Ultimately, the play itself is limited by the 1950s optimism that colors Anne's complex wartime reflections. A production can only work with what it's got."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Kimberly Senior’s new production for Writers Theatre smartly captures that sense of claustrophobia. Jack Magaw’s set design, in the theater’s auxiliary venue at the back of Glencoe’s Books on Vernon, forces us to enter through a twisty, makeshift labyrinth, cleverly evoking the hidden space, before seating us in the thick of the action."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Yet what makes Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's 1955 play "The Diary of Anne Frank" so compelling - and it is nothing less in the current production at Writers Theatre - fills a larger frame of human drama. It is a complex profile of hope shadowed by terror and despair, and finally crushed under the boot of hatred. But still, first, there is innocent hope, a luminous vision of life abounding in wonder, possibility and good."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...The Diary of Anne Frank is a marvelous work worth another look. The blocking and honesty of this cast makes director Kimberly Senior’s production an ensemble triumph. The close quarters in the Writers’ Books on Vernon venue adds much to the intensity of fear and foreboding from the two families. Sean Fortunato and Sophie Thatcher anchor this deeply emotional production."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Directed to perfection by Kimberly Senior on a unique set (Jack Magaw has outdone himself with this one) in the very intimate space located in Glencoe's Books on Vernon. I am not sure how many of you know this space, but it is in the back of the book shop that Writers has brought rich theater to the North Shore for many years, and this one is no exception."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"...Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Auschwitz liberation, Wendy Kesselman’s stirring adaptation of this literary classic boasts both excellent direction and superb supporting artistry contributed by a top-notch technical team. Told by a cast of accomplished, reliable actors, all the heartbreaking moments from young Anne Frank’s years in hiding come to vivid life. This is a must-see production for all audiences, both young and old alike, reminding us of a chapter in history we must never, ever forget."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Everyone in the audience knows how the play ends and the tension in the crowd was palpable as the tragic final moment approached, but that didn't diminish the impact of the conclusion. Fortunato's quietly spoken epilogue at the very end was as emotional a moment as I can recall in recent theatergoing. When the stage went into a blackout to indicate the play was over, the spectators didn't know whether of not to applaud. Did clapping somehow disrespect the sorrowful conclusion to this story? Of course, when the actors came forth for their bows, the applause was fulsome, and grateful."