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Peer Reviews I Am My Own Wife By Doug Wright Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley Entire contents are copyright © 2009, Craig Nolan Highley. All rights reserved.
Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf was a fascinating individual. Born Lothar Berthelde in 1928 Berlin, she was biologically male but at an early age identified as a girl and took great interest in the clothing and articles of little girls. As you can imagine, she stirred controversy early on, helping second-hand merchants clear out the homes of Jews that had been arrested by Nazi Germany, keeping many of the items for herself. She claimed that, after being forced at gunpoint by her Nazi father to choose between her parents, she struck her father dead with a rolling pin while he slept. After spending years as a detained juvenile delinquent, she was released after the fall of the Nazi regime, growing up to attain some notoriety in the gay community during the Communist rule of East Berlin. She thrived by hosting gay parties and running her Gründerzeit Museum, even going so far as rescuing a gay bar from a raid by moving all the bar's furniture and accoutrements and hiding them in her museum's basement. That is just the tip of the iceberg of Charlotte's amazing and controversial life. I confess I had never heard of this remarkable individual until I attended the opening night performance of Pandora's latest production, I Am My Own Wife. I was so captivated that I had to do further research into her fascinating story. The production is a tour-de-force performance by local actor Roger Fristoe. He completely inhabits the persona of not only Charlotte but over forty other characters in this one-man show. Under the expert direction of Rand Harmon, you are totally immersed in the performance. Fristoe manages a variety of accents and characterizations so naturally you forget you are watching a single actor. Only once or twice do the roles become cartoonish, but never over-the-top. The set design by Daniel Recktenwald is simple but believable, especially the ever-present barbed wire fence looming in the background as a constant reminder of the concentration camps Charlotte managed to avoid. Equally serviceable was the costume design by Patti Perryman, lighting by Theresa Bagan, and sound by Laura M. Ellis and Gabe Bullard. Special mention must also be given to the amazing collection of period props collected by Fristoe and Bob & Betty Zielinski. This is an amazing production, showcasing outstanding acting and production values that should make Pandora Productions proud.
I Am My Own Wife
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