
Vanessa Severo is a dynamic physical performer and her one woman show Frida.. A Self Portrait now on at Glencoe’s Writers Theatre is visually arresting, as much a movement art piece as a work of biographical theatre. The work was born in the midwest: at Kansas City Repertory, and has traveled a bit and been honed to a tight 75 minutes.
Using scenic designer Jacqueline Penrod’s ingenious device of a laundry line that serves as a backdrop and a costume prop, and a space/time divider, the work hits all of the important moments of Frida Kahlo’s life and lets the rage and pain bubble up, seethe and explode. Severo saw a reflection of herself in Kahlo, and traveled to Mexico City to visit Kahlo’s home. The show is as much a self portrait of Severo as Kahlo, and I suspect Severo has a fascinating story of her own– I wanted more of her tale since this is not the first time Chicagoans have seen a powerful actress invoke Kahlo, having seen Donna Blue Lachman’s 1987 Frida The Last Portrait at the storied Blue Rider Theater in Pilsen. Chicago has been a long time supporter of this nearly overlooked painter: her first U S solo show was at Chicago Museum of Contemporary Arts in 1978.
In this compelling and watchable performance, Severo is open and centered. Her arms and torso and legs can portray emotions raw and subtle. She can as easily embody hulking Rivera as Kahlo. She created a movement leitmotif of Kahlo’s heroin use that is at the same time beautiful and excruciating. There is a dance with cloth of lost babies. There is a particular section with belts that channeled the impossible physical compromises Kahlo had to make to continue existing. As Severo channels Kahlo, I want to know more about the actor herself.
Frida.. A Self Portrait is a colorful postcard to every woman who sees a part of her own story in the work of this iconic artist. It is only up Tuesdays through Sundays at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe. If you get shut out, it will travel to Milwaukee next year. For tickets and information go to: https://www.writerstheatre.org/Frida-A-Self-Portrait
Photo by Michael Brosilow For more reviews go to https://www.theatreinchicago.com
Comments