It may be jarring to see a group of people you know are doomed, wearing large yellow stars on their chests, merrily singing “Happy Birthday” to Anne. But overall, the script and music do not seem overly incongruous and certainly not offensive.

Most of the drama takes place in a two-story cubicle representation of the secret annex where the Franks hid. In this version, “Kitty,” the imaginary confidant whom Anne writes to in her diary, becomes a fairy-godmother-type character who chats and sings as Anne recounts her girlish thoughts or complains about her parents, as any teen would. The role of Anne is played by a soon-to-be 14-year-old Cuban-born girl from Miami, Isabella Castillo.

The performances will run at Madrid’s Calderon Haagen-Dazs Theatre for the next year. If it’s successful, Alvero hopes to take it to other parts of Europe, Latin America, and possibly the US.
-Tracy Wilkinson LAT-WP