Anne & Emmett should be seen in every classroom in America.— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Janet Langhart Cohen has written a play that is emotional, educational and inspirational. I thought it was a beautifully acted. I’ve been following this play for a long time—great cast, fully directed. It was a real treat. — Michael Douglas, Actor, Director
Anne & Emmett is a powerful and haunting dramatization of the parallels in the lives of two historic young people.— Quincy Jones
I think it was very, very powerful, and such a message to us all today. We think that things like that are in the past, but it’s really the remembrance and trying to tell people that this is still going on. A very important play.— Secretary of State Madeline Albright
I think Janet did a great job in connecting the parallels that most people don't see. Explained the experience of Anne Frank and the experience of Emmett Till and how all people have had to come together as a result of these separate tragedies and build a better world like the way Anne did on that note, "spring to lightness, light the candles throughout the world." — Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.), Former United States Secretary of State
Well there are two very powerful stories that illustrate the injustice and hatred that exists in the world. It's part of human nature and we all have to make an attempt to rise above that.— Alma Powell, Chairman, America's Promise
Belongs on Broadway!
— Patricia Neal, Actress
In a word—brilliant.
— Robert Brustein, Theatrical critic, playwright, producer, educator
Created and handsomely rendered with boundless love, heart and soul, Anne & Emmett was a production of grace and enlightenment. Its poignancy in the face of the theme of the crushing—out of the young lives of Anne Frank and Emmett Till held me in rapt attention, as it grew in urgency and emotional wallop.
— David Siegel, DC Metro Arts
It is amazing that that story, the way she put it together, is in her head. And thank God she put it on paper. And that they put on this play. I'm moved beyond tears.
— Joe Madison, Syndicated radio talk show host, The Black Eagle
I thoroughly enjoyed this play. It was powerful, emotional, moving. I hope that a lot of people out there, not only in the United States, but all over the world see this play. And what's most amazing is that everything we saw and heard tonight has the added advantage of all being true. And that's so sad, but at the same time it's so important.
— Wolf Blitzer, CNN Anchor, The Situation Room
We need to see this on Broadway in New York. It's that important.
— Bruce Gordon, former president, NAACP
When I saw Anne & Emmett, I knew it had much to teach us in the police profession.
— William F. Bratton, Former NYPD Police Commissioner
Anne & Emmett is a history lesson about the importance of tolerance, compassion and justice, to be acted out on stage, acted on in life.
— Courtland Malloy, Washington Post
I am so moved and so shaken and I was crying in there. I mean, the writing is powerful. The acting and directing are extraordinary and bring Janet Cohen's words to life brilliantly and powerfully. And I am really overcome. I think it is timeless.
— Andrea Mitchell, MSNBC television correspondent
The play is a brilliant, call to action. There's no age limit to see this – young people, old people – we can never forget what happened to Anne. We can never forget what happened to Emmett. If we do forget, we do it at our own peril, so I encourage people go see this play.
— Robert L. Johnson, Founder, BET
It's really special, moving and heartbreaking.
— Doug Morris, Chairman, Sony Music Entertainment
It was beautiful and inspiring and very creative and very imaginative and really smart to think that these two individuals at different times in their lives, almost the same age, who experienced such tragedy, would have a lesson for all of us. And I cried during most of it. It was really beautifully done.
— Suzanne Malveaux, CNN television host
I think it was so brave and so necessary. It was an amazing achievement—an amazing achievement, a great triumph. And I'm so proud of Janet. I'm so proud of what she's done and bringing these words and bringing this message to this world. I think she did us all a great service and lifted the veil to discuss something that needed to be talked about. It was wonderful. And it was so imaginative. Brilliant! I think it was a crowning achievement. Magnificent. Well done. Brava! Bravissima!
— Denyce Graves, American operatic mezzo-soprano
What I found so surprising and wonderful was how emotional it was. I felt the power of it in my chest and not just in my head. And that was, I think what was so winning about it. It was an amazing evening.
— Barry Dixon, Interior Designer
It was breathtaking. I thought this was wonderful. It evoked tremendous amount of emotions. And you know after the fog, after the play, you realize how many similarities there are between Jews—I happen to be Jewish—and blacks. And recognizing the similarities that have taken place, question that come to mind after the play is— we blacks and Jews, should ban together to help not just each other, but in order to help make America better.
— David Kronfeld, Entrepreneur, Chicago
The brilliance of the unification of Emmett Till and Anne Frank blends a contemporary power to this because there’s still so much hatred and misunderstanding. And to see this brought home in such a vivid way, through such important people, and to get the message of memory—not just the Jews and blacks, but both and what they suffered in common. It was an extraordinarily powerful message.
— Richard North Patterson, Author, columnist
I was really blown away. I learned so much. I learned so much about Anne Frank. There are many things I didn’t know about Emmett Till. It was such an education. It was riveting. I felt the pain. I felt the anger. But just the unfairness—you ask yourself, how could those kind of worlds exist? Where you could treat human beings less than animals, you could kill them, have no value for them. But it also reminded me of just how far we've come.
— Armstrong Williams, Television host and social commentator
I loved it. I thought it was terrific on so many different levels. Firstly, the writing was fabulous. I love the idea of a memory—it was a great concept. I think a great play brings a different perspective. So I admire Janet's ability to do that. The actors were incredible. First of all, just memorizing that many lines and doing it with great emotion and feeling was really breathtaking. And the story’s an important one.
My father was the prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials. He prosecuted the original 21 defendants in Nuremberg in 1945. And three years ago I passed the Emmett Till legislation. And it should have been mentioned Jim Talent was a Republican Senator from Missouri, he joined me in that effort along with Patrick Leahy, a Senator from Vermont. And I wrote the original bill to allow us to reach back in these cold civil rights cases and to go after the people that committed these crimes years ago when evidence still exist to prosecute them. So it was moving to me tonight to know my father prosecuted the Nazis and I'd like to think I helped keep the memory of Emmett Till still alive. So it had a special significance for me.
— Christopher Dodd, Former U.S. Senator, and Chairman, The Motion Picture Industry Association