She comes in a "self portrait," conceived and written by Vanessa Severo, a woman fascinated by Frida Kahlo after a friend told Severo that she reminded him of the icon.
That observation has led Severo on a never-ending quest to learn as much about the artist as possible, and herewith, her production, Frida...A Self Portrait, presented many times across the globe since 2014 and now in Washington at the Shakespeare Theatre Company
In the one-act play, Severo describes the many traumas of Kahlo's short life (1907-1954), Severo's research constantly turning up new details and digital information she incorporates in her Frida story.
Frida's polio at age 6 and a devastating bus accident in Mexico City when she was 18 changed her life trajectory from budding medical student to artist.
The wreck broke her spine, ribs, pelvis, foot, leg, and collarbone and led to 30-plus surgeries and constant lifelong pain.
Her on-again, off-again relationship and marriages to Diego Rivera, two abortions and the discovery of her sister having an affair with her husband increased Kahlo's heartache and anguish, all Severo sketches in her biography.
Throughout the show, Severo is energetic and emotional, seemingly breathless at times, while she darts from one side of the stage to the other, often shrieking in pain when still.
The many costumes she wears in an outstanding and clever design by Jacqueline Penrod hang on clotheslines which crisscross the stage, one of them becoming a rope Frida grasps as she might have held while riding the bus.
Rivera is easy to recognize in an outfit of large coat and pants which surround Frida when she inserts her arm in the coat's armhole and hugs herself.
One of her last "costumes" was the tight body brace she wore for support.
In an interview printed in the program Severo says Kahlo taught her how to endure pain and to embrace her (their) differences.
Rachael Cady's extraordinary lighting and Thomas Dixon's sound designs and original musical composition combined with Severo's presentation produce a memorable interpretation of Kahlo's life.
Other key members of the artistic crew are Severo's friend and collaborator, Joanie Schultz, who directs; Katherine Davis, costume designer, and Janine Vanderhoff, stage manager.
What: Frida...A Self Portrait
When: Now through Nov. 8, 2026
Where: Klein Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, 450 7th Street, N.W.
Tickets: Start at $39
Box office: 202-547- 1122
patricialesli@gmail.com
Posts
