In the first half of the 20th Century, male artists dominated the art scene just as they have done for centuries. Fortunately two woman artists of the Americas were able to break out of the patriarchy, Wisconsin’s own Georgia O’Keefe and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo. Certainly a major reason for their visibility is the remarkable artwork that they created which clearly still speaks to us today. But Kahlo is also intriguing not only because she was a landmark artist but because of the difficulties that she endured in her personal life.
And it is that endurance plus a personal spiritual connection to Kahlo that brought Vanessa Severo to write and perform Frida…A Self Portrait. Frida is directed by Joanie Schultz.
Fittingly for a play subtitled, an autobiography, there is only one actor, Vanessa Severo. So in essence, Frida gets to tell her own story. But don’t be fooled into thinking that with only one actor, that there is only one character on stage. The first one is prominent. It is Severo the playwright who in at least three different moments speaks to the audience directly and has Severo the actor explain the various whys and hows that brought this play about. There is enough drama in these interludes for an actual play on its own…but we really want to see and hear Frida.
And hear Frida, we do. She narrates her life story with all of its drama in a very engaging manner often telling us how she feels, how she perceived the events around her, and why she decided to do some of the things she did. All of the major events in her life are examined. Many of them in Frida’s own words but often with Frida ( or is it Severo, the lines are at times blurred), impersonating another character in costume or just in narration. It depends. Many many different people make an appearance but most importantly, there are major moments with her father Guillermo Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera. These re-tellings and impersonations are fraught with drama and edged with humor, both in word and the visuals. Severo moves from one focus point to another in an uninhibited fluid dance that just dares you to look away for even a moment. Intriguing story telling at its finest.
Severo is intensely Frida Kahlo and you will suspend disbelief readily and accept that you are witnessing a private story from Frida.
The framing story is Frida entertaining a guest who is visiting to view the architecture of her home, La Casa Azul. But instead of concentrating on the history of the house, Frida wanders off in her mind and recounts the key memory points in her life. The simple set aids the flow and ebb in the story telling. Overhead and to the rear, the general set is a four poster bed that is key to the backstory as Frida spent many days in bed recuperating from one injury to another. And after Severo finishes her prologue to the audience, the stage is festooned by three clotheslines of clothing and bedding that have been questioningly lying on the stage until Severo begins as Frida. These clothes provide the costuming and decor needed for different characters and environments as the story proceeds and Severo discards them stage left or right as their utility vanishes. And there are some stories that remain unspoken…but are told via Severo’s interactions with individual items, lighting, and sound. Some of these moments are particularly sad and should remain unspoken.
Besides the settings, the story is subtly enhanced but the background sounds including insects chirping, city street noises, and such. Very nice, thank you Thomas Dixon. And with just one actor on stage, lighting is very important to help tell the story and to lead the audiences focus and to set the mood and timbre of a scene. Hats off to Rachel Cady.
Frida…A Self Portrait runs about 80 minutes without an intermission.
Frida is being presented in the Herro-Franke Studio Theater at the Milwaukee Rep from now through May 17, 2026. More details and ticket information here.
Extra Credit Reading: Program