Frida…A Self Portrait
Written and Performed by
Vanessa Severo
Directed by Joanie Schultz
Set on the eve of Frida Kahlo’s death, this intimate show plunges into the brilliant, nuanced world of Kahlo’s tumultuous, extraordinary life. Brazilian writer and performer Vanessa Severo cracks open a powerful portal between herself and the celebrated Mexican painter, bringing breathtaking physicality and raw honesty to this stunningly creative production.
“Severo has attempted a level of sophisticated storytelling we seldom see from playwrights in Kansas City or anywhere else”
Frida…A Self Portrait has wowed audiences in Kansas City, Portland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Rochester, and Indianapolis. Audience members call it “the most brilliant and powerful show I’ve ever seen”, “Imaginative, like no other”, “a truly magical experience,” and “awe inspiring”. Vanessa’s performance has been referred to as “a tour de force”, “phenomenal”, “a bright star”, and “outstanding”. It is a must-see experience full of theatricality and heart that sells out audiences, and has audience members coming back multiple times.
“This Frida is a colorful and imaginative composition of pop-out scenes that flow one to the other. Taken in as a whole, this truly original work is a deeply affecting drama that leaves an ineradicable imprint. Incorporating costume along with dance and movement, Severo transitions with ease between characters and the play’s discrete segments...Her dynamic performance and charismatic stage presence fill the theater’s space to the nosebleed section of downtown’s Copaken theater.”
“Severo makes masterful use of the simplest things. The set consists of three clotheslines hung with costumes, which become multiple settings and a good-sized cast of characters. For a solo show, it often feels like there’s an ensemble on stage, which is due to Severo’s ability to quickly transform herself and also to imbue small movements with large doses of meaning. In one brief but striking scene, she plays two characters at the same time — the gimmick is so simple, but it still felt like magic.”
“By using the power of creative storytelling, Severo yanks Kahlo off the canvas and breathes life into her anew. It is telling that not one of Kahlo’s actual artworks is seen during the show. Rather, it’s Severo, inside an empty frame or in a familiar pose that we immediately recognize as both the artist and a work of art.”
