We Must Never Forget

The Trump threat is real for LGBT individuals

Don't be fooled.  His Administration is dangerous.

On a given night, hundreds would cram the city’s streets, some carrying a gay periodical, and patronize the dozens of gay bars, cafes, nightclubs, pornography shops, cabarets and bathhouses.  Adding to the crowd was an ample supply of hustlers that was visible along the dim, nighttime corridors. 

Inside the buildings, female impersonators, clad in lavish brightly colored garb, performed amidst a foggy, smoky cloud that enveloped the jammed rooms.  Toe-tapping songs were played to the resounding joy of the gay and straight audiences of the packed nightclubs and cabarets with the music drifting outside into the streets.  #hocopolitics 

In other establishments, men freely danced with men; women danced with women.  They openly embraced.  An anti-gay law on the books was seldom enforced.  Gay life was colorful, free and vibrant. Gay neighborhoods were established throughout the city.  It had the most active gay culture on the entire continent, and it was a sexual Mecca. 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Does this scene describe New York?  San Francisco?  Washington, D.C.?  Not hardly.

It happens to be Berlin, Germany, just prior to the Nazis’ rise to power.  Indeed, it was estimated that there were more gay establishments and periodicals in 1920 Berlin than in 1980 New York.  Not only was homosexuality tolerated, it flourished. 

But as the music played inside Berlin’s gay clubs, sweeping political and social change was about to unfold that would rock the world.  The patrons (and owners) of these establishments were oblivious to the new political reality; they continued to dance, seek out sex partners and lived in their own secluded, care-free world, unsuspecting of the emerging satanic forces and the horror of what was about to befall them. It sneaked up on them, and when they realized what was happening, it was too late.

As fast as a snap of a whip, there was the accession of Nazism and Hitler and the enforcement of the infamous Paragraph 175 that severely criminalized homosexual behavior. All gay clubs, hotels and other similar establishments were closed down.  Known homosexuals were ordered to appear at police stations and were pressured to identify other homosexuals. School children were asked to inform on teachers who were suspected of being homosexual, employers on employees, and vice-versa.

Their tragic journey had begun. Gay men in Germany were sought out and rounded up with most being shipped to concentration camps for imprisonment and extermination.  They were forced to wear a pink triangle for easy identification and lived in separate blocks apart from the other prisoners.  The prisoners wearing the pink triangles were brutally treated by the guards and by inmates from other categories.

Homosexuals and those supporting abortion were seen by the new government as a threat to the Nazis’ dream of world dominance.  It was as much about the lack of procreation as the lack of morality.  For gay men it was also about their lack of masculinity—it did not fit the Aryan paradigm.   They joined Jews, gypsies, criminals, political enemies, Communists, the disabled, epileptic and other outcasts that did not conform to the Third Reich’s master plan.  (And yes, Trump White House, accept it or not, Jews constituted the overwhelming majority of the victims during the Holocaust.)

Approximately 100,000 gay men were arrested, 50,000 sent to prison camps, and hundreds were castrated.  All told, an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 homosexuals, mainly those who were deemed “incurable,” were exterminated in the death camps.  Their death rate was said to have been three to four times higher than other non-Jewish categories during the Holocaust.

As you can see, apathy can be a perilous thing, and unfortunately, it is not confined to history.

The new Trump Administration is chilling.  Though no executive order has been signed yet that would allow discrimination against LGBT people under the guise of “religious freedom,” don’t be fooled.  Virtually every cabinet appointee, every advisor, every key figure in the Administration has actively pursued an anti-LGBT agenda in his or her career.  Some of these are extreme including Steve Bannon, Tom Price, Betsy DeVos, and Jeff Sessions.

While Trump may want to play good cop, bad cop by wrapping himself in a rainbow flag for show, an anti-LGBT agenda can take hold in each of these departments and various levels within the executive branch.  Homophobic and transphobic Republicans in Congress will do nothing to stop such efforts; in fact, they have been trying for decades to foster anti-LGBT policies and stood in the way of progress. 

Moreover, the Supreme Court could very possibly tilt towards in a regressive way during Trump’s term, so there may not be relief from that branch of government.

 LGBT folks must be on the alert and forcefully express their opposition to efforts to turn back the clock.  The threat is very real. 

And we don’t need to go back too far in history to understand the effects of apathy, complacency or indifference. The mantra, “We must never forget” applies now more than ever.

Riveting ‘Diary of Anne Frank’ at Olney

The families received hopeful news of the invasion of Normandy
Photo: Stan Barouh

One could only imagine the horror, the terror and the heartbreak experienced by those who suffered and perished during the Holocaust. We are reminded of those atrocities through personal accounts, historical documentation, images and footage contained in Holocaust museums and other venues.   #hocoarts

We also have artifacts such as a diary from a young Jewish girl from Amsterdam named Anne Frank who described in vivid detail the ordeal of spending nearly two years hiding in small upper rooms of the annex at the back of her father’s company building with eight people—three other family members, another family of three and later a stranger—hoping and expecting that they will be liberated from the Nazi takeover of Holland.   

That diary, which was published as Diary of a Young Girl but later known simply as The Diary of Anne Frank, became a book by Wendy Kesselman and was adapted into a play by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett, premiering on Broadway in October 1955.

Fortunately, this play is now being presented at the Olney Theatre Center, and as such, is one of the most gripping dramatic plays I’ve seen in at least ten years.  Director Derek Goldman (Grounded) and an exceptional cast and skilled technical crew bring this diary to life. 

This is a taut and poignant drama with all the moving parts completely in sync, and through the actors’ superb performances under Mr. Goldman’s direction and Misha Kachman’s outstanding set, it seems so real. 

Adding to the authenticity is Zach Blane’s effective lighting design. Matthew M. Nielson’s sound design includes sound effects of sirens blaring outside, the chants from Hitler and his followers, and reports from the radio.  Also, costume designer David Burdick’s period attire hits the mark.

Carolyn Faye Kramer as Anne Frank
and Paul Morella as Otto Frank
Photo: Stan Barouh

Olney’s black box theatre that is the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab offers the audience a degree of intimacy not found in many other venues. The aisle running through the center of the audience stands as the stairway linking the outside danger on the streets below to the secret annex space above.

It’s July 6, 1942 in Amsterdam.  Hitler’s forces have taken over the city.  The Frank family—Otto, Edith, Anne, 13, and her older sister Margot—trudge up the stairs first led by Mr. Kraler, an employee of Otto Frank’s business, the one who is providing the sanctuary.    

The Franks are followed by the arrival of Peter van Daan the teenage son of Otto’s business partner. Then Mr. van Daan shows up with his wife and the seven are assembled.  All removed their outer clothing soaked from the rain with each wearing a yellow Star of David identifying them as Jews. 

Miep Gies, also an employee, and Mr. Kraler will deliver food daily to the group. 

Small makeshift bedrooms are assigned. Otto barks out the rules.  While workmen spend the day below, no noise can be made until 6 p.m.  Shoes must be off, no coughing, no use of water, no flushing toilets.  Their very lives depend on not being discovered.

Miep brings another member to the group who needs to hide out—a dentist named Mr. Dussel who is allergic to Peter’s cat and shares a tiny bedroom with Anne.

Though we know the sorrowful ending, we are able to watch and listen to the hopes and dreams of these individuals as the months go by unaware of their fate and how interactions among family members and between the others in the annex are affected by their hiding out in such close quarters.  Nerves get frayed.  Yet some relationships even tighten. Food is shared but one of the people is caught cheating.

They carry on as one big family, even celebrating Chanukah with Anne doling out improvised gifts to her family.  However, along the way, we learn that their secret may have been compromised.

When Miep runs up the stairs to announce Normandy has been invaded and liberation may be near, the occupants all rejoice and celebrate.  By contrast, not long later, that suspected betrayal was realized when two Nazi storm troopers barged in, clicked their heels, and without anyone saying a word, the occupants raised their hands and followed the uniformed troopers down the stairs in an absolutely chilling scene.


Photo: Stan Barouh

As stated earlier, the performances by the actors are high quality.  Playing the role of the perky and optimistic Anne Frank, Carolyn Faye Kramer is phenomenal.  She is the focus of the play, of course, but her relationships with other members of her family and the van Daan family provide much of the drama and dialogue. 

Anne is at one time jealous of her older sister Margot, played by Dani Stoller, but then grows closer during their period of hiding.  Inevitably, she develops an attraction for the reserved Peter van Daan (Alex Alferov), a slightly older teenager, who lacks self-confidence and questions his Judaism.

Brigid Cleary as Anne and Margot’s mother Edith is a standout.  Edith outwardly worries about the fate of the family more than anyone and that concern is evident throughout. Ms. Cleary conveys these emotions realistically in her dialogue and movements on the stage.  

Also very strong is Olney veteran Paul Morella as Otto.  He is the leader of the group and tries to keep it all together.  Mr. Morella gives an incredibly moving epilogue whereby he explains how Otto was the sole survivor; everybody including Anne died when they were in various concentration camps.   He delivers this soliloquy with unbridled emotion—eyes tearing, lips quivering and voice shaking. 

As the van Daan parents who are involved in more of the conflicts, Eric Hissom and Susan Rome portray their roles well.  Their scene in which Mr. van Daan insists that his wife relinquish the fur coat her father gave her because they are in dire need of money and her reluctance to do so is potent.

Rounding out the cast are Michael Russotto as Mr. Dussel, Kimberly Schraf as Miep Gies, and Edward Christian as Mr. Kraler.

Anne’s final words on the stage represent her final entry in the diary dated July 15, 1944:

“It's difficult in times like these: ideals, dreams and cherished hopes rise within us, only to be crushed by grim reality. It's a wonder I haven't abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

This, in essence, sums up the positive spirit of Anne Frank that is communicated so adeptly in this exceptionally well-directed and performed play. It should not be missed.

Running time.  Two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.

The Diary of Anne Frank runs through October 23 at the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832. Tickets may be purchased by calling 301-924-3400 or by visiting online .