“Frida … A Self Portrait” at Writers Theatre, Glencoe IL, US through February 23
30 January 2025
In her solo play Vanessa Severo plays the role of the adored Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, whom she has been portraying onstage for five years.
The show's first edition, which lasted 45 minutes, debuted in 2014 at Kansas City, Missouri's Living Room Theater. The audience's reaction was positive, but Severo wanted to learn more.
She traveled to Mexico in 2018 to conduct a research on Kahlo's life. She visited the Museo Frida Kahlo, which is housed in La Casa Azul, where Frida grew up and later lived with her husband, muralist Diego Rivera. Severo told her Uber driver how disappointed she was with the museum.
He informed her that Frida was not at Casa Azul and pointed her in the direction of the Museo Dolores Olmedo, which has a good collection of Kahlo paintings.
After returning home, she worked with director Joanie Schultz to expand the play, which had its full-length premiere in 2019. In an interview, Severo said that the director asked the right questions, which helped to shape the play. She specifically questioned why Severo was lying.
"I wasn't saying the thing I should be saying," Severo, who has a left hand congenital disorder that she has never talked about and has kept hidden from her coworkers for years, said.
In order to achieve this, she added her own narrative to Kahlo's, which keeps changing as Severo gains more insight into her subject. Indeed, she recently discovered some information that necessitated rewriting Writers' revival's conclusion.
She declared, "I have to be honest about her." "I must say it."
In the end, Severo wants "Frida … A Self Portrait" to serve as a reminder to viewers that everyone has a meaningful story to share, one that aids in their healing and interpersonal connections. She also hopes it encourages them to share theirs, whether it be through a painting, letter, poem, or song.
Taken from Daily Herald's article.
Info about the play and tickets at the Writers Theatre website below.
