Review: FRIDA...A SELF PORTRAIT at Geva Theatre

Rochester’s Geva Theatre continues its 23-24 season with a deep dive into the life, work, and tribulations of one of the 20th century’s most celebrated painters, performed and written by theatre artist Vanessa Severo. Even if you are an art agnostic and only vaguely familiar with Frida Kahlo, “Frida…a Self Portrait” will move you.  

Frida Kahlo was her own mysterious and brilliant muse. The iconic Mexican painter captured the difficulties and wonders of her life with incredible vibrancy. Now, she comes to life onstage through playwright and performer Vanessa Severo. “Frida… A Self Portrait” transports you to La Casa Azul, Frida’s home, where Vanessa recounts the artist’s bold life. With music and movement, she shares insights about Frida’s physical limitations, complex love life, addictions, and, of course, the beauty in her art. “Frida” explores the complex creative engine that powered the cultural icon through myriad hardships, and the worldview that inspired her to always be optimistic.

Frida Kahlo’s life was a seemingly never-ending list of tragedies, ranging from disease and debilitating injury to addiction and spousal infidelity, and Vanessa Severo’s brilliant piece covers the full gamut, but despite highlighting all the chapters that made Frida’s life tragic, the story is not strictly a tragic one. Severo magnifies Frida’s unshakable sense of humor, her resilience, her love, and her determination to always be looking forward. And yes, the show does have its deeply sorrowful moments, but over the course of its 75-minute one-act runtime, “Frida” made me laugh way more than it made me cry. It’s a testament to Severo’s writing that she can infuse joy and humor into a story whose surface seems so grim at a glance.

Severo’s performance as Frida Kahlo is vulnerable, emotional, personal, and full of joy, drawing comparisons to her life and Frida’s in terms of their upbringing, heritage, parents, and creative outlets. While one-person shows often tend to be sleepy and not particularly captivating when done by a lesser performer, “Frida…A Self Portrait” is utterly captivating as Severo bounces across the stage from character to character, costume to costume, guiding us through the ups and downs of this fantastically interesting and complex historical figure.

“Frida…a Self Portrait” is a powerful, funny, and deeply moving look at one of history’s most renowned artists. It’s playing at Geva Theatre until November 12th.