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Jefferson
Mays as Charlotte von Malsdorf
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“I
Am My Own Wife,”
This
play
is extraordinary for several reasons. First, it’s the story of a
transvestite, on Broadway! The story of Charlotte von Malsdorf,
Germany’s most famous Transvestite, is told through Doug
Wright’s (the writer) interviews with her, public records and
her Stasi file.
Charlotte
realized at an early age that “she” didn’t identify with
being a he, and it was through a loving grand mother- and a book
about transvestism that her grandmother provided, that Charlotte
came to understand and accept her female identity. The writer
believed he found in Charlotte “a true iconoclastic gay hero,”
by the mere fact that she not only existed, but, did so publicly
as a gay transvestite during both the Nazi and communist Stasi
rule over Germany and East Germany, respectively.
But
he (Doug Wright) told the NY Times, “she did what all hero’s
do, she disappointed me.” Charlotte was equal parts victim and
informant – according to her Stasi file. But it is a compelling
story nonetheless, which opened in December to rave reviews (due
in large part to the subject matter, and the brilliant acting of
Jefferson Mays, who plays three dozen characters in the one-man
show), and has been drawing what appeared to be an older more
conservative crowd: 60 Minutes co-editor Morley Saffer sat next to
us the night Fran and I attended. After the final curtain he
(Morley Saffer) told me that indeed he enjoyed the show, as he
wiped tears from his face.
The
raw data that Doug Wright collected sat on his shelf for five
years, before he was prompted to write the play. And it took
another three years to get to Broadway. He didn’t create a
“hymn to honor Charlotte,” as he first intended, but did
create a fascinating character study of a trans-woman who had an
idiosyncrasy with antiques, operated a museum by day, and a gay
club in it’s basement at night. He allows the audience to peek
into her life from two points of view and come up with their own
conclusions. The force of this play was not so much about being
transgender, as it was about being different and standing tall.
Charlotte von Malsdorf defied the odds and lived life on her own
terms, and this play is a testament to one trans-woman’s ability
to bend, without breaking. “I Am My Own Wife,” is simple,
complicated and eloquently delivered.
NOTE:
several months after this review the play won the following
awards:
- Winner
2004 Tony awards: best actor, best play
- Winner 2004 Pulitzer Prize for
drama
- Winner 2004 Drama Desk Awards:
Outstanding solo performance, Outstanding play
- WINNER 2004
LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS: Outstanding Solo Show,
Outstanding Scenic Design
- WINNER 2004
OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS: Outstanding Broadway Play,
Outstanding Solo Performance
- WINNER 2004
DRAMA LEAGUE AWARD: Distinguished Production of a Play
- WINNER
2004 THEATRE WORLD AWARDS: Jefferson Mays
- WINNER 2004
OBIE AWARDS: Jefferson Mays (Performance)
Moisés Kaufman (Direction) Derek McLane, (set Design)
