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I Am My Own Wife
Jan. 24th, 2010 10:10 pmThe good thing about advance planning is that I get out of the house even when my stress level is high. Which is, arguably, when I most need to.
Last night was a story swap at Starr's. I was glad I carpooled with Ralph and Margaret as I am reasonably sure I would still be circling northwest D.C. looking for her address if I hadn't. (There was a typo in the directions and there is a traffic circle along the way that I've gotten lost at multiple times in the past and, well, there is a reason I try to avoid driving in the district.) The swap was fun and I was especially pleased there were new people there, one of whom even told a story.
This afternoon I went to see I Am My Own Wife at Signature Theatre. This one man play tells the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite in East Berlin. Playwright Doug Wright weaves together his interviews with Charlotte with news reports about her. Some of those news reports are disturbing, especially those which bring up her role as a Stasi informant. There are a lot of interesting questions surrounding what the truth is about Charlotte's life and how many of her stories to believe. Ultimately, the question is whether the truth matters. All of this is ably performed by Andrew Long, playing all of the roles. (The reviews typically mention that there are over 30, but many of those are reporters who get just a line or two. In practice, there are only 4 that really make a difference.) Overall, I was concerned that the self-referential aspects would turn me off, but the emphasis was really on the character of Charlotte, who was intriguing enough to hold my attention. I can understand why the original production won so many awards.
Last night was a story swap at Starr's. I was glad I carpooled with Ralph and Margaret as I am reasonably sure I would still be circling northwest D.C. looking for her address if I hadn't. (There was a typo in the directions and there is a traffic circle along the way that I've gotten lost at multiple times in the past and, well, there is a reason I try to avoid driving in the district.) The swap was fun and I was especially pleased there were new people there, one of whom even told a story.
This afternoon I went to see I Am My Own Wife at Signature Theatre. This one man play tells the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transvestite in East Berlin. Playwright Doug Wright weaves together his interviews with Charlotte with news reports about her. Some of those news reports are disturbing, especially those which bring up her role as a Stasi informant. There are a lot of interesting questions surrounding what the truth is about Charlotte's life and how many of her stories to believe. Ultimately, the question is whether the truth matters. All of this is ably performed by Andrew Long, playing all of the roles. (The reviews typically mention that there are over 30, but many of those are reporters who get just a line or two. In practice, there are only 4 that really make a difference.) Overall, I was concerned that the self-referential aspects would turn me off, but the emphasis was really on the character of Charlotte, who was intriguing enough to hold my attention. I can understand why the original production won so many awards.
