July 16, 2009
Nazis and communists, and the drag queen who survived them
Scott Stiffler READ TIME: 4 MIN.
Think your life is full of problems, perils and traumas? It's a safe bet they pale in comparison to the burdens endured by Charlotte von Mahlsdorf - a German antiquarian and transvestite.
Born as a man but living as a woman, Charlotte spent decades under the thumb of the Nazis and, later, the East German Communists (and you know what buzzkills they are!). Hassled by the Gestapo and the East German secret police, Charlotte never bends in her determination to live life as she sees fit - right under the noses of two of the last century's most cruel and repressive regimes.
Von Mahlsdorf story came to the attention of playwright Doug Wright, who interviewed her over a number of years and transformed that experience into a one-person play I Am My Own Wife. First produced in 2003 off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizon, it transferred to Broadway's Lyceum Theater for a 360 performance run. At that time it racked up an impressive number of awards (including a Tony for Best Play and Best Actor (Jefferson Mays) as well as the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). Clad in a black dress throughout, Mays portrayed over 40 characters in order to tell Charlotte's journey through several decades of chaos and intolerance.
Now through August 19,
EDGE spoke with Mad Cow Theater's Artistic Director (and director of the play), Alan Brunn, about this unique theatrical experience - and what a 2003 play set in the last century means for audiences today.
For Brunn, I Am My Own Wife is the right story, happening at the right time: "It's been on my radar screen for awhile. It's such a powerful piece from a theatrical, personal and historical standpoint. It makes a huge number of statements in so many diff ways, and to a very broad audience." Although the work may appeal to a broad audience, the number of people who can see it at one given time is decidedly small. Set in Mad Cow's smaller space, "Wife" is part of a series of more intimate plays produced this season in their 60-seat black box (including Fully Committed and The Year of Magical Thinking).
When word got out that Wife would be one of this season's productions, Brunn says he was inundated with actors eager to tackle this challenging role - a true showcase for actors, but a role only meant for the most committed and talented. Brunn: "I had a number of people who immediately approached me expressing interest in doing it." He ultimately settled on Keith Kirkwood, new to the area but possessing "a wonderful simplicity that allows him to be very direct, particularly in an intimate space. As a gay man, he was drawn to it; but he was also drawn to it as an actor looking for a powerful challenge."
To do the work justice, Brunn had his work cut out for him as well. Having not caught the Broadway production, a trip to the library was soon in order: "I've only seen it on video. I went to the Library of Performing Arts and looked at the Playwrights Horizons production, to get grounding on how it was produced. I left with as many questions as I came in with."
That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Audiences can expect to have a similar reaction upon leaving the show, which manages to tell a satisfying beginning to end story while sending patrons home pondering the implications of personal freedom and choice as well as the implications of political control upon our daily lives. The toll politics take on our lives was not lost on Brunn, who says that aspect of the work makes it both relevant and vital for 2009 audiences.
Brunn: "One of the reasons for producing it now is, it's such a powerful statement about the power of the individual against a repressive society and how an individual's potential is so extraordinary no matter what the odds are against them. That's a great message for today, as people are having difficulty keeping house and home together and staying employed - and a time when we've just gone through a fairly repressive regime of our own."
But no matter what the political meaning, message or metaphor, the core of the show is its mission to "provide some hope that the individual can prevail - presented in a unique and compelling way."
I Am My Own Wife runs from July 17 through August 9 at the Mad Cow Theatre, 105 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. 407.297.8788. For ticket prices, performance times and additional information visit the
Scott Stiffler is a New York City based writer and comedian who has performed stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy. His show, "Sammy's at The Palace. . .at Don't Tell Mama"---a spoof of Liza Minnelli's 2008 NYC performance at The Palace Theatre, recently had a NYC run. He must eat twice his weight in fish every day, or he becomes radioactive.
