Based on playwright Doug Wright’s interviews with Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf. I Am My Own Wife is an account of a man (Lothar Berfelde) who adopted a female identity, and survived the Nazi Occupation and Communist Regimes. Living in Berlin. Charlotte was virtually open in her vocation. She didn’t conceal her woman’s attire, though you wouldn’t call her flagrant. Somewhere around the same time that Lothar discovered his cousin and advocate, he was to survive baptism by volcano. Lothar’s female cousin enjoyed dressing in men’s clothing, and she sensed he was drawn to frocks. He lived with a violent father, who forced him to join the Hitler Youth. Trapped in a deadly confrontation, he beat his dad to death with a rolling pin, at the age of 16.
It’s safe to say Charlotte subsisted at the hub of German counterculture. Doug wright treats her with respect in this one-man show, never depicting her as an eccentric little dowager or volatile harridan. She ran a small museum that featured household items from a time in German history that was long gone. The Grunderzeit. She acquired many objects and items left over from the expulsion of the Jews, though she was definitely not Antisemitic. She loved listening to music but never owned a television. She ran what might be described as a queer bar and dance club, from the basement of the mansion where the museum was housed. Esteemed artists, writers, gays, lesbians and other bohemians gravitated to Charlotte’s notorious hotspot.
Wright takes a risk by exploring Charlotte’s moral ambivalence. She was revered by many for her unapologetic queer values but condemned by others for accusations of collaborating with secret police. I Am My Own Wife makes it clear that Charlotte’s “degeneracy” put her at risk with totalitarian rule and subsequently, a perfect candidate for cooperation. On the other hand, by presenting an unresolved quandary, and details of a phenomenal, genteel, yet fierce human being, Wright does her justice, despite her flaws. Considering her excruciating ordeals, Charlotte persevered where many of us might have crumbled.
Ashley Puckett Gonzales directs Bob Hess in this demanding performance. He portrays Charlotte, the playwright, the playwright’s best friend, the cousin… et al. The range and depth of Hess’ emotional expression is remarkable. Nuanced yet emphatic, sublime yet stricken, Hess is gripping and touching in a role that isn’t histrionic; he submerges us in a life of a tacit desperation. Hess creates a lady of unorthodox valor, who doesn’t grasp her own heroism, but sees her choices (for good or ill) as simple pragmatism. Mr. Hess brings an exquisite, exhilarating ear to language that made Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf who she was. There’s no judgment or bias, but the brilliance of an actor who gives himself over to painful radiance.
Here’s how to watch: 1. I Am My Own Wife will be available for streaming via video on demand between July 16 – August 2. 2. To watch, simply purchase a ticket on our website for this on demand event. You will receive a link and code by email within 24 hours that you can use to access the video at your leisure, at any time during the run dates. 3. Questions? More information is available on our website here.
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