Frida Kahlo (to use the super simplified version of her very lovely name) easily counts as one of the most fascinating human beings to breathe during the twentieth century--and that is not a low bar.
Frida - Stroke of Passion, produced, written and directed by Odalys Nanin (who also plays the title character) functions as dream-like retrospective of her life in the week before her death. It is her 47th birthday, and she lives sheathed in pain. Yet she remains devoted to her art, lingering on memories of her many lovers, fierce in her demands for attention from her husband Diego (Oscar Basulto), and scheming to leave this world and fly.
There's a lot of content here, and frankly teases one into learning much more about the figures in the life of this unique personality. Yes, we've all heard (haven't we?) of Leon Trotsky (Paul Cascante) and Josephine Baker (Celeste Creel). Perhaps unusually for a gringo I have some idea of who singer Chavela Vargas (Sandra Vallis) is. But I had to look up movie star Maria Felix (Jorie Burgos), Cuban spy Teresa Proenza (Kesia Elwin), and photographer Tina Modotti (Mantha Balourdou). Quite a tapestry of lovers--and honestly such makes up only a portion of what makes her life extraordinary.
All of which combines into a narrative of Kahlo's last days, and her memories of a rich life, coupled with her machinations to leave this world on her own terms, just as she has lived in it as she saw fit.
Nanin's script functions extremely well on this level, and at time soars to splendid heights (entwining songs into the show was a brilliant choice). But honestly it felt almost too short, or too long. Some more exploration of what was there feels needed, or cutting away some details to give greater focus. Maybe both. Still, while I truly miss learning more about Kahlo's actual art (which can be wildly difficult to dramatize, to be fair) that we get a portrait of this artist seems beyond doubt. Her loves, her passions (not quite the same thing), her disappointments and regrets, even her ghosts (a couple pretty much literally just that)--such makes an intoxicating recipe of Frida Kahlo's life, and if the play cannot tell it all, well how much of such a life can be told in one evening? There's a lot there to whet the appetite!
This production, by Macha Theatre/Films, is a revival and somehow I doubt the rest of the audience doesn't join me in hoping for yet another revival--one of many.
Frida - Stroke of Passion as of this writing plays one more performance on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 2pm at Casa 0101 Theatre, 2102 East First Street, Los Angeles CA 90033.
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