Huey Newton is a different character than Otto Frank, but I see similarities in how you built your presentations of both men. Newton Story” in a theater in Los Angeles. So the first dilemma is, “Do I share this? Do I destroy this? Do I get it out there internationally as my daughter would probably like me to do?” He went with his daughter's wishes: She desired a certain notoriety. I think he's kind of an enigma, even though he lived a long and productive life as a steward of his daughter's work. Otto Frank is a man about whom we should know much more. I'm the father of two daughters, and certainly this story moved me before I went to Amsterdam. You have been involved in representing other historic figures, whether it's collaborating with Spike Lee alongside Denzel Washington for “Malcolm X,” Huey Newton, Rodney King. Of course, he was not, but he was reunited with the diary that he had given to Anne for her 13th birthday. The image that kept coming back to me was of a man who would come back to what was his home - his improvised home after the war - knowing that he had lost his wife in the death camp, but hoping that he would be reunited with his daughters. I stood in line with everybody else and I was extraordinarily inspired. It was a place that I knew that I had to go to. Roger Guenveur Smith: I had the opportunity to go there because I was invited to do my “ Rodney King” solo in Amsterdam. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.īrian Watt: I read that you got the idea for this performance after visiting Anne Frank's home in Amsterdam. Smith spoke with KQED morning host Brian Watt about his decision to embody Otto Frank, and how he represents contemporary issues focused on race and religion. He draws on the style of his other one-man shows - which center Black historical figures such as Huey Newton and Rodney King. Smith, perhaps best known for his collaborations with Spike Lee (“Do The Right Thing,” “Malcolm X”), returns home for a limited run (through March 27) of his solo performance piece “Otto Frank,” which runs through March 27 at the Magic Theatre’s Fort Mason site in San Francisco. “It is necessary - this conversation that he has with his daughter beyond her time and beyond his time as well.” “In this particular international moment, what he brings to the table is extraordinary and extraordinarily vital,” he said. Berkeley-born actor Roger Guenveur Smith is channeling the ghost of Anne Frank’s father, Otto, during a fraught time in Europe, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
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