photo by Chris Bennion Connor Toms (Peter) and Lucy DeVito (Anne) in the Intiman Theatre’s “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

"Dear Diary, since you and I are going to be friends, I will start by telling you about myself...."

These words, seemingly insignificant and adolescent when out of context, become infinitely important in the Intiman Theatre's production of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

"The Diary of Anne Frank," the book, was dramatized by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett in 1955 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1956, more than ten years after the end of World War II.

In the Intiman Theatre's staging of this heralded play, Anne Frank, the young girl who wanted so much to be a writer, becomes tangible to a contemporary audience, although the cast struggles with performing the difficult story.

Director Sari Ketter begins the play in pitch black, readying the audience for an inevitably heartbreaking story. The fact that it is a true story makes it all the more challenging to watch. Most attendees will know what happens in the end: of the four-person Frank family -- forced into hiding at a time when millions of Jews all over Europe were being murdered in the Holocaust -- Otto Frank, the patriarch, was the only survivor. 15-year-old Anne, her mother, and her older sister, Margot, all died in concentration camps.

So why sit through a play that doesn't have a happy ending but rather ends with death?

For one, the character of Anne Frank, played with humility and grace by Lucy DeVito, is accessible, as if she were a true friend to each audience member. When she first appears on stage, she is 13, spunky, smiley, and quite outspoken for her age.

She receives a red and white plaid diary from her father when they first move into the Annex, the hiding place the family secretly stays in for two years before their arrest. Immediately, Anne begins to document the day-to-day happenings in the cramped and tension-filled Annex.

The Franks are not the only family living there. They are joined by the Van Daans, also Jews in hiding. The Van Daans have a 16-year-old son named Peter, a shy boy with whom Anne becomes closer as they grow up together in their painful situation.

Later on, the Annex makes room for Mr. Dussel, an antisocial dentist who adds fuel to the fire of anxiety that permeates through the Annex. If the family were accidentally seen or heard, someone would inform the police, who would arrest them all. Needless to say, nerves are tested.

Still, it is sometimes easy to forget the dire situation that the Annex residents are in, especially when the precocious Anne dances across the common-room floor with her father and makes fun of the heavy-set Mr. Van Daan behind his back as he searches for his pipe.

The fact that Anne strives to bring humor and joy to the fear-filled characters may overwhelm the viewer. Anne is courageous without even knowing it. Although she is ashamed of her dread of being dragged off by the police, she comforts those around her and tries to take their minds off of the terror that fills their hearts. The play highlights transcendence over fear, leaving the audience in awe.

The Annex is beautifully recreated by scenic designer Nayna Ramey. With the help of the theatre's intimate venue, audience members will feel as if they are right there in 1940s Amsterdam. The set is multilayered and represents each room that is in the real-life Annex. Windows are covered with makeshift curtains, and the audience imagines the Amsterdam canals below and the Gestapo passing by on the lookout for Jews in hiding.

What is most striking about the set is the wave of multicolored, strewn papers that spill off the edge of the stage and onto the ground, representing the pages and pages that Anne wrote in her diary. At the end of the play, a posthumous Anne stands silently on these papers and solemnly looks out into the audience, while her father, above her on stage, leafs through her diary and gently discards more pages onto the pile.

"The Diary of Anne Frank" deserves a strong cast, which it certainly possesses in this particular production. Although the cast had a rough start, struggling with forced emotion and some line-stumbling, by the end of the play, the camaraderie they created with one another overshadowed the negatives. They interact naturally, like a true family, and each actor brings his or her own sense of personal anguish to the complex roles they play.

Anne's mother (Amy Thone) struggles to win over the affection of the wild-hearted Anne, and the animated Mrs. Van Daan (Shellie Shulkin), who is forced to give up her priceless fur coat in order to get more money. Peter Van Daan (Connor Toms) tries to deal with an unloving father, and Mr. Frank (Matthew Boston) provides a voice of wisdom and encouragement to the group. Perhaps the weakest character in the show is Mr. Dussel (Alban Dennis), who is meant to be on the obnoxious side, but is played in such a way that no empathy can be felt for him as he squawks and sobs around the stage.

But DeVito's Anne Frank certainly demands full attention. One cannot help but gravitate towards her character's optimism. Even at the end of the play when the family is arrested, she reveals hopeful sentiments, believing that even amidst such a dark time in history, there is still inherent good to be found in humanity.

All performances are at the Intiman Theatre (201 Mercer St. at the Seattle Center), every night (except Mondays) through May 17. Tickets range between $35 and $50 with $10 discounted tickets available for students and groups (depending on availability on the day of the show). For ticketing and information, go to http://intiman.org, call 206-269-1900, or purchase at the Intiman ticket office.