FRIDA KAHLO PAINTS PORTLAND IN DARK RAIN

Frida Kahlo came to Portland disguised as Vanessa Severo.

Or was it the other way around?

Either way, I met them when they both showed up at Portland Center Stage At The Armory and crowded the stage with characters.

They started small.

Got pumped up.

Then they blew the roof off the armory. And it’s a very sturdy roof.

Frida … A Self Portrait

How does a one-woman show crowd a big stage?

I went in thinking of other one-woman shows in town I didn’t see.

And other one person plays I haven’t seen.

How many people are in one person plays? (You do the math, I’ll write the post.)

In ‘Frida’ I met parents and doctors and a husband along with the star of the show. They were all present and accounted for. Somehow.

I was shocked, stunned, disbelieving. How did they all crowd into a one woman show?

Then I figured it out. Acting.

Vanessa Severo has studied at Missouri State University as well as The American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco. She is the recipient of the TCG 11th Round of the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships, 2017. She has performed for the past 13 seasons at The Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and is certified in Suzuki Method, and Viewpoints under the instruction of Ellen Lauren, SITI company. She is the playwright and actor of “Frida… A Self Portrait” (2020 Kilroys’ List); a one woman production about the tumultuous and brilliant life of Frida Kahlo. Vanessa is passionate about utilizing the element of Suzuki method in her work to challenge the boundaries of storytelling, and explore the depths of movement, composition, and the power of stillness.

The Quotable Frida Kahlo And The Kindness Of Being Strange

Jim Morrison said people are strange when you’re a stranger.

Was he inspired by Frida Kahlo?

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me, too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.”

I walked out of the building feeling the solidarity of strangeness. I was born the year Frida died.

Or, maybe it was the strange building?

It’s got an upside down feel from the ground floor.

Fixed it with more arches.

Maybe it was Vanessa Severo and Frida? Frida and Vanessa?

I’ve had a Frida-echo for years along with sorting the idea of what is and isn’t strange. It goes with writing a one man blog.

Seeking Frida

My wife is a Frida-fan along with all the extras, which for the novice means ‘be who you are and don’t stay too satisfied for too long.’

We found Frida in Phoenix.

Diego stands behind Frida before she paints his face on her face. Is she working from a hidden mirror, or memory. She knows her face well enough. His too.

In this action photo she seems to be adding a little more shading. Scroll up and see if you don’t want to see more of Diego’s face on Frida’s forehead. He pulls her face together like the right rug in a Lebowski room.

Now the warning: If you’re a man and you see a Frida Kahlo show with a woman you care about, who you spend time with, she will go through a Frida Phase. Notice a new chunky necklace? A few new fashions?

I looked for Frida in Fred Meyer.

The Kahlo doll features the familiar floral crown, braided black hair, flowing print dress, fringe shawl and de rigueur earrings and necklace. Lacking, however, are Kahlo’s signature uni-brow, her much commented-upon upper lip hair and the baubles that adorned most of her fingers. Mattel also made her look slimmer.

What you’ll find in ‘Frida … A Self Portrait:’

A wrenching show linking subject, acting, directing, stagecraft, and the tingle of time travel that stories in live theater give on a good night.

Thanks to Vanessa Severo and Joanie Schultz for a very good Portland night.

(There is a mandatory vaccine and ID check just inside the door, so like a good scout, Be Prepared. If you’re not vaccinated and been waiting for a good reason, this is it.)