How an Anne Frank Musical Reimagining Its Subject as a Rapper Became a Hot Off-Broadway Ticket

An off-Broadway musical that reimagines Anne Frank as a pansexual rapper has become one of the most talked-about theatre productions of the year, according to the Guardian.

The show, Slam Frank, originally staged in 2025, uses a show-within-a-show structure in which a progressive theatre company attempts to modernise Anne Frank's story by drawing parallels to the struggles of marginalised communities today. In the production, the character's mother is portrayed as Black and her father as neurodivergent, while the family are also depicted as immigrants during their time in hiding in Amsterdam.

The Guardian reports that the show has proven divisive, drawing walkouts from some audience members even as it built a dedicated following. Creator Andrew Fox acknowledged what he called 'a temptation to categorise it as anti-woke art', but said reactions to the show cut across conventional political lines.

Fox described the musical's aim as an attempt to grapple with 'the last 15 years of cultural and intellectual upheaval' while finding comedy within that tension, rather than delivering a straightforward political statement.

Slam Frank continues its off-Broadway run amid ongoing debate over its provocative approach to one of the most well-known accounts of the Holocaust.