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Charlotte von Mahlsdorf is not a name students of history quickly recognize, and will never be. But by the final line of Northern Stage’s production of "I Am My Own Wife," you are gently but firmly reminded that all human life contains moments of transcendence which must be viewed through the veils of simply being human, real, and desiring simple happiness. Charlotte explains it herself while putting away the museum pieces she is displaying to playwright Doug Wright, who asks her if she ever fixes broken pieces or paints scratched furniture. "No!" she exclaims. "It is a record of life, a recording of living." If you’ve read this far, you deserve to learn more about this unusual and exciting production. The lead actor is Kevin Loreque, who earned praise from me for his portrayal of the emcee in "Cabaret." Of the 35 people who appear in the production, Loreque is by far the best. Actually, he’s the only … as he portrays all of the characters of both sexes, all ages, and at least three continents with finesse and an accuracy that was truly uncanny. Throughout the evening, I had to remind myself that I was watching just one man, and the three of us in our party agreed that this one man portrayed women as well, perhaps better, than the men he brought to life. His Charlotte is simply delightful, able to be saucy and bemused, forceful and demure. The lights rise on Charlotte in her museum, listening to an Edison recording on a gramophone. She is dressed simply in a black dress with a pearl necklace. You learn that she is a transvestite originally named Lothar Berfelde, whose claim to fame was winning a medal of honor for preserving a cabaret bar frequented by Marlene Dietrich and Bertolt Brecht. She rebuilt it in her basement, where it became a focal point for the gay community. You learn of her abusive father, her run-in with the Nazis, and later, with the East German Stasi secret police. Playwright Doug Wright visited Charlotte on numerous occasions, taping each interview, and found himself totally stymied by the breadth of material and the contradictions it contained. For instance, rumors persist that Charlotte survived in part by working as an informant for the Stasi. Wright’s breakthrough came when a fellow writer told him simply to "write about your love affair with Charlotte von Mahlsdorf." The resulting script won him the Pulitzer Prize, and gives us a richly textured evening. Its only shortcoming as a script is that it seemed to come to an ending on three separate occasions, but it didn’t seem to bother the Pulitzer people! To prepare for the production, artistic director Brooke Ciardelli and Loreque traveled to East Berlin to immerse themselves in Charlotte’s museum and the sounds, sights, and smells of the region. They and producing director Catherine Doherty were also assisted by Christopher Schnader of Dartmouth, who knew Charlotte personally. This acute attention to detail moves the production well beyond the realm of typical drama, creating what is truly a masterpiece of modern theater. In an age which tends to define things as good or bad, black or white, this production is proudly gray, proudly gay, and gently encourages us to find the nobility in each life, not in its whole, but in its separate moments. I am richer as a person for having gone to see this show. "I Am My Own Wife" runs through November 19, with shows beginning at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, Sundays at 5, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Thursday, Nov. 9. Tickets should be reserved by calling the box office at the Briggs Opera House at 802-296-7000. ____________ |
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