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Shiva for Anne Frank

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 16 Aug 2025 ZOO Playground Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-24 Aug 2025

According to performer Rachel McKay Steele, “Shiva for Anne Frank started as an ill-conceived, one-off bit in a comedy show in 2018." It has since evolved "into an exploration of girlhood, growing up Jewish in the American South and collective grief.”

It is certainly shiva with a difference

Those elements and many more are present in the show that, sometimes rather uncomfortably, wraps her own story around that of Anne Frank. On stage a cloth covers a hand mirror on the occasional table, reminding us of the rules of shiva, which, although centred around a deceased person, is actually designed to help people with the grieving process.

Screen projections assist the passage of the show and the telling of Anne’s story, with visuals that include anticipated images of Anne Frank, her family and the Holocaust, but also others that illustrate her wide-ranging tangential material. Steele is at pains to point out the side of Anne that goes beyond the innocent, speculative girl in the attic keeping a diary of everyday events, highlighting passages that provide insight into her sexuality and feelings.

It is the abundant other material that often feels incongruous, and in the midst of it we might well wonder how we got here. Steele’s personal story of girlhood, Bat Mitzvah, a nose job, an obsession with Paul Rudd and coming to terms with Jewish identity and bisexuality is a launch pad for diversions, of which there are many. In no particular order, we somehow manage to cover ICE raids, Springsteen, menstruation, female anatomy (illustrated), October 7th, interfaith marriage, anal sex (with more anatomical illustrations), drug-taking, chlamydia and bulimia, among many others. These cannot all be remnants of the ‘ill-conceived’ 2018 show.

Although a comedian, her attempts in that area fall rather flat. There is some humour and a display of her limited tap-dancing abilities. By the end, with the Israel/Gaza situation looming large, Steele has become so emotionally involved in the material that she is holding back tears. It is certainly shiva with a difference.

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The Blurb:

A celebration of Jewish Identity, girlhood, and community mourning. Can one Jewish comedian relate herself to Anne Frank? Although one of the most famous and recognisable young women in the world, Frank's legacy is often simplified so she can remain a saintly beacon from one of humanity's darkest chapters. Now that we find ourselves in yet another dark chapter, come laugh, celebrate, and mourn as filtered through her nose-job, Bat Mitzvah, and a one-night stand with a German. She's trying to meet the moment but showing up fashionably late (with snacks) instead.