‘A couple of times people walked out’: how an Anne Frank musical became the hottest theater ticket of the year
The creators and stars of Slam Frank on their off-Broadway production - which reimagines the Holocaust victim as a pansexual rapper
TL;DR
- Slam Frank is a 2025 musical that reimagines Anne Frank as a pansexual Latina, satirizing identity politics.
- The show uses a show-within-a-show structure, where a progressive theatre company modernizes Anne Frank's story.
- Creator Andrew Fox aims for the musical to grapple with cultural upheaval and generate comedy, cautioning against one-note interpretations.
- The musical premieres off-Broadway at the Orpheum theatre on October 4th, following a sold-out run at Asylum NYC.
- The concept originated from an online debate about Anne Frank's alleged white privilege.
- The creators aimed to write a reaction against didactic theater, focusing on provoking reactions, laughs, and shock.
- The musical's social media strategy has involved subterfuge and trolling, intentionally avoiding a specific viewpoint.
- Reviews have been largely positive, with some calling it a significant new show.
- The musical satirizes the way identity can be conflated with ethics and critiques the jargon-filled language of some contemporary discourse.
- The show uses irreverent humor and plot twists to comment on art and culture, including sensitive topics like the Holocaust.
- Slam Frank plays at the Orpheum theatre until November 30th.