Theatrical play inspired by the diary of the well-known young woman of Jewish origin who was a victim of the Holocaust allows us to see Anne Frank “as she has never been shown”. It premieres at the Porto Coliseu on the 18th and will tour the country.
Recreated so many times on stage, Anne Frank’s Diary will have a major musical theatre piece for the first time in Portugal. It is “Anne Frank – The Musical”, a creative work lasting months, signed by the company Plateia d’Emoções, which involves 30 professionals from different technical areas and puts 16 actors on stage to tell – and sing – the latest days of the author of the most famous diary in the world.
The premiere will take place at Porto’s most iconic cultural amphitheatre, the Coliseu, at 5:30 pm, and will tour the country in the coming months.
With original text and lyrics by Hélder Reis, a well-known television professional, the play is based on an original idea by Fernando Tavares, alma pater of the Vila Nova de Gaia company, who also took over the artistic direction, scenography and staging. It develops through 20 scenes set to music and is expressed through 10 original songs, written by André Ramos. A musician who worked with conductors Sir John-Elliot Gardiner, Paul Daniel, Leif Segerstam, among others, and worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Arts Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta, in addition to collaborations developed for the musicals “Fame ”, “Scents of Light”, “Rent”, “Grease”, “Lion King” and, equally, the Portuguese version of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, by Filipe la Féria.
Centred on the most striking episodes of one of the most read non-fiction works in the world, “Anne Frank – The Musical” begins imagined by the director of Plateia d’Emoções, based on a photo of Anne’s father, Otto Frank. And, as Fernando Tavares reveals, he opts for a “very emotional ending that will bridge the current contexts of intolerance and conflict…”
“Discover the strength, irreverence, perseverance, fear and talent of the young woman who wrote the most famous diary in the world”, through a “unique and engaging musical, full of emotions and values” which allows you to see Anne Frank “as it has never been shown”, highlights the synopsis. With a “passionate musical composition”, Anne Frank – The Musical explains a “unique approach” to the work that ended up being a “hymn to friendship, love, family and everyday hope”. “Would there be such open windows when the world was so closed? Is it so far from the days we live in today?” he asks.
The scenography of the upcoming play reconstructs the secret annexe (now a house museum) where Anne Frank took refuge for more than two years, in Amsterdam, along with seven other people.
Created in 2011, it was in 2015 that Plateia d’Emoções specialized in musical theatre, and, in a municipality (one of the largest in Portugal) that does not yet have a municipal theatre, it carries out its daily activity in rented facilities (300 meters squares), where he invested and created all the technical conditions required for testing his productions.
The company develops an average of 150 shows per year (for a handful of theatrical productions). Because it essentially invests in the “development of the public of the future”, its “great beacon”, as the founder recognizes, its audiences are made up of around 85% of school-age audiences. And, invariably, the tours of the pieces she (re)creates usually take her to almost twenty cities.
“We want to cultivate the habit of going to the theatre and that is also why we do not take our plays to schools, but rather to facilities with all the technical conditions for performing art to develop with the quality that audiences deserve”, emphasizes Fernando Tavares.
Thanks to the success of its productions over the nine years of activity, the company has already won over some patrons, who help Plateia d’Emoções’ creative projects to have increasing quality and recognition.
AGENDA: Anne Frank – The Musical’
Porto Ageas Coliseum (Porto)
- February 18th, 5:30 pm – premiere
Grand Auditorium of the Vilar Oporto Hotel (Porto)
- From February 20th to March 1st, at 10 am and 2:30 pm – sessions for schools
- February 24th, at 9:30 pm, and February 25th, at 5:30 pm – sessions for the general public
Bragança Municipal Theater (Bragança)
- 1st semester 2025
Cine Teatro Messias (Mealhada)
- 2nd semester 2024
Tábua Cultural Center (Tábua)
- 4, 5 and 6 November 2024, at 10 am and 2:30 pm – sessions for schools
Cine Teatro Garrett (Póvoa de Varzim)
- 1st Quarter 2025
About Plateia d’Emoções:
Plateia d’Emoções is an artistic company based in Vila Nova de Gaia. She made her debut in musical theatre productions in 2015 with the play ‘Cinderella – A Magia do Musical’. The project continued with great successes, such as ‘Pinocchio – A Musical to Dream’, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’, ‘The Three Little Pigs’, ‘The Wizard of Oz – An Enchanting Musical’ and ‘Via Crucis’. In addition to the production of cultural shows aimed at a general audience, the company’s activities also include the presentation of musicals with educational content, aimed at children, schools and families, in performances that take place across several national theatres.
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