Image courtesy of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
I Am My Own Wife - Promo Image courtesy of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
'I Am My Own Wife' promotional image
In 1971, German avant-garde, gay activist-artist Rosa von Praunheim directed a film entitled It is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, Rather It Is the Situation in Which He Lives. That queer perspective on life itself describes the very essence of Doug Wright’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play I Am My Own Wife. Opening January 23 at the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, it is based on the true story of the extraordinary Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transwoman, who lived through Germany’s Nazi and Communist regimes, negotiating her survival simply by being convinced of herself.
I had the good fortune of speaking with both director Alexander Coddington and Jonathan Riker, the play’s sole actor (performing some three dozen or so roles), about their particular take on this timely staging of Wright’s work.
Queer in East Berlin
First, however, a bit about the plot: With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Communist East German government, Wright learns of a fixture of East Berlin’s queer scene, museum curator Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Based on a series of interviews he conducts with Mahlsdorf, he writes a play that takes the audience through her decades of survival. Recognizing her affinity for womanhood, she lives as a transvestite. As a child she murders her abusive father. Then, after the fall of Nazi Germany, Charlotte finds herself living under another authoritarian regime, this time a Communist one. She discovers her niche collecting antiques and opens a museum. Still, under duress, to accommodate the perverse situation in which she lives, she spies on the people around her as an “unofficial collaborator” for the Stasi, the East German secret police.
Naturally, one asks why this play and why now? Director Coddington explained the rationale, “MCT scheduled the show earlier this year. Doing a play about a transgender person living under totalitarianism is extremely timely. Charlotte is a symbol of things people may not expect regarding the endurance of the queer community.” He also notes that while the play has been done in Milwaukee before, for those who think they know the play, they will be surprised. “The way we talk about trans people is different than when the script was originally written. The playwright has updated the script with new vocabulary. The revisions also take a different tack in terms of her asserting Charlotte’s right to exist,” Coddington explained.
Changing Times
Besides, the times, too, have changed with the vocabulary, especially given the current political reality that includes official regime scapegoating of the trans community. “The production crew consists of trans and non-binary people and every aspect of play will feel very rooted in that. It’s not the way the play has usually been done. We want to assert the play from the perspective of trans people,” Coddington said.
Actor Jonathan Riker reiterates the point, adding “There will always be fear of “others” when the effort isn’t being made to unite. Having trans people as scapegoats feels like an echo of the Nazis, especially when the government uses a phrase like “nihilist extremist terrorists” to describe the trans community, it’s important to assert trans humanity.”
Despite the heavier tone, Coddington brings us back to the play itself. “The play is funny. It’s vibrant, exacting, full of eccentricity, joy and gay humor. The characters have such a wit. It just shows we’ve always been the same. It’s a complete picture of a human being.”
As for the production itself, Coddington mentioned the sets by Sarah Hunt-Frank “will surprise the audience” while costume designer Jazmín Aurora Medina’s wardrobe choices, he notes slyly, “are unconventional.”
Team Production
Ultimately, though, it comes down to Riker as Mahlsdorf and the additional 30-odd roles he plays. I asked how he manages to create so many individual characters. His response explained the actor’s dilemma—if a dramatic shift has to be made to present another character, instinct is to do something large. The result looks like hamming. “I found people have more in common in movement. So, to switch roles, I have to find a tiny beat the audience recognizes. The challenge is to find what tiny characteristic can show that,” Riker said. He also gives credit to dialect coach Raeleen McMillan who has assembled a packet of dialects to further define personalities. “It matters to me to be specific with dialects. It’s part of the storytelling.”
On that theme, Coddington again referred to the team of queer people at the core of the production, who have responded accordingly. “She’s giving me a history I didn’t know I had,” they’ve said, underscoring the idea that I Am My Own Wife is a queer story, told by a queer elder being passed down through time and sparking intergenerational and intercultural conversation.
MCT will prompt conversation through its outreach efforts to the queer community and beyond. A Here2Play evening takes place Wednesday, Jan. 7 at Dandy in Washington Heights. During the run, three Pride Nights, highlighting a different aspect of our community, will be held each Friday, Jan. 23 (a Preview performance), Jan. 30 and Feb. 6.
Riker summed up the mission behind the production. “If this play shows anything, it is that we will not be erased. Regardless of who is in power, this part of humanity that has always been part of history cannot be erased. If we were in a situation that is so much more dire than things already are, there is comfort knowing there’s a Charlotte out there.”
For tickets and event details go to milwaukeechambertheatre.org
