Slam Frank
| Slam Frank | |
|---|---|
| Music | Andrew Fox |
| Lyrics | Andrew Fox |
| Book | Joel Sinensky |
| Premiere | September 17, 2025: Asylum NYC |
Slam Frank is a 2025 off-Broadway satirical hip-hop musical based on the story of Anne Frank. It was created by Andrew Fox and Joel Sinensky after a Twitter thread about Anne Frank's "white privilege" went viral in 2022. The show is a show within a show of an ultra-progressive theatre troupe that reimagines Frank as a pansexual Latina named Anita Franco, along with Peter van Daan as a non-binary dancer. While the show itself is purportedly satirical, its viral social media promotion, with snippets of the show and tongue-in-cheek commentary, never acknowledges the satire.[1][2][3][4]
Some editorials or op-eds from Jewish newspapers, written before the show's debut, criticized the show's "disrespectful" treatment of Anne Frank,[5] and the show provoked a petition to stop its opening entirely.[1]
History
The show is based on a Twitter debate from 2022 regarding whether or not diarist and Holocaust victim Anne Frank had white privilege.[6][7] The initial tweets were widely condemned by Jewish organizations.[8] The show had a concert presentation on June 16, 2025 at Asylum NYC and began a fully-staged developmental run on September 17, 2025.[4]
Reception
Ben Brantley, former chief theater critic for the New York Times, said, "the already notorious little musical "Slam Frank" may be the most important new show around", in a post on X.[9] Zachary Stewart writing for Theatermania called it, "A blistering satire of progressive, terminally online sensibilities" and "the edgiest musical playing in New York."[10] Writing for The Times, Ben Kawaller described it as "skewer[ing] the absurdity of tribalism while championing our common humanity."[11]
Controversy
On December 14, 2025, the Instagram account of the show posted a distasteful meme in response to the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting. It was quickly taken down.[12] Two days later, the creator of the show, Andrew Fox, posted an apology on the account for the post being in bad taste. However, Fox also placed the blame on the people who shared screenshots of the meme after it was removed.[13]
Principal Cast/Creative Team
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Anita | Olivia Bernábe |
| Peter | Alex Lewis |
| Mrs. Van Daan | Jaz Zepatos |
| Otto | Rocky Paterra |
| Margot | Anya van Hoogstraten |
| Edith | Austen Horne |
| Mr. Van Daan | John Bow |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Walker Stovall |
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Creator | Andrew Fox |
| Book | Joel Sinensky |
| Director | Sam LaFrage |
| PSM | Nikita Chernin |
| Producer | Steven Brandon |
| Producer | Stage Time (PJ Adzima & Yuriy Pavlish) |
| Associate Director | Emily Abrams |
| Costume Designer | Sarah Lockwood |
| Choreographer | Nico DeJesus |
| Music Director | Alex Harrington |
| Set Design & Props | CJ Howard |
| Lighting/Video Designer | Zack Lobel |
| Marketing/PR | Katie Rosin, Kampfire Inc. |
References
- ^ a b Zinoman, Jason (2025-08-28). "The Comedian as Master Troll". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ Tsur, Talia Bannon (August 7, 2025). "Anne Frank as a Pansexual Latina Immigrant: Holocaust Hip-hop Musical Causes a Stir in N.Y.C." Haaretz. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Strauss, Joseph (2025-08-27). "'Anne Frank, Superstar'? Satirical musical reimagines the Holocaust victim as a symbol of wokeness". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ a b Strauss, Joseph (2025-08-21). "Musical with Anne Frank as pansexual Latinx has audiences wondering, 'Is this for real?'". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ Ganz, Alicia (2025-05-08). "'Slam Frank': When Satire Goes Too Far". The Jewish Link. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ^ Bandler, Aaron (2022-07-12). "Twitter Debate on Anne Frank and White Privilege Condemned". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ "Twitter Debates Whether Anne Frank Had 'White Privilege'". TMZ. 2022-07-09. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ Starr, Michael (2022-07-10). "Twitter debates whether Anne Frank had 'white privilege'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- ^ https://x.com/BenjBrantley/status/1974854532984426530
- ^ Stewart, Zachary (2025-10-09). "Review: In Slam Frank, Anne Frank Gets the Hamilton Treatment - TheaterMania.com". Retrieved 2025-11-10.
- ^ Kawaller, Ben (2025-10-17). "'Offensive' musical starring a pansexual Anne Frank could save Broadway". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
- ^ FiveFruitADay (December 14, 2025). "Slam Frank's very quickly deleted post from today". Reddit. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ Fox, Andrew (December 16, 2025). "Apology post". Instagram. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (October 8, 2025). "Slam Frank Musical Extends Off-Broadway; Creator Andrew Fox Joining Cast". Playbill. Retrieved November 11, 2025.