A German transvestite who survived the Third Reich and communist control relives her greatest and darkest moments in the newest play at Circuit Playhouse.
"I Am My Own Wife," written by Doug Wright, is a one-man show but it has more than 30 characters. The one we learn most about is Charlotte von Mahlsdorf.
She lives in her museum that showcases German furniture and décor from the 1890s and has also lived openly as a transvestite since being a teenager.
The play copies Wright's interviews with von Mahlsdorf, and her story unfolds just as he learned it, piece by piece.
It's in the tradition of storytelling, according to Stephen Hancock, the director and a theater professor at The University of Memphis.
But more than hearing a recounting of events, the only cast member, Michael Gravois, enacts von Mahlsdorf's life. He is von Mahlsdorf, but he is also her friends, her family and her persecutors.
"It works beautifully," said Slade Kyle, junior theater performance major. "The only reason is that Michael can seamlessly transition between characters and storylines."
In the play, von Mahlsdorf's tumultuous past is interspersed with more comedic asides from Wright's and von Mahlsdorf's present lives.
For instance, Gravois embodies characters like Wright's American friend, John Marks, who lives in Germany and speaks the language well but with a very heavy Southern accent (not too unlike what you would here in the U of M's introductory language classes).
Marks is Wright's main connection to von Mahlsdorf and events in Germany including von Mahlsdorf's controversial medal of honor.
Through the accounts of the many characters, the audience dives into von Mahlsdorf's past and even Wright becomes too fascinated to be objective in his pursuits.
"Just as Charlotte would give you a tour of her museum, the play gives you a tour of her life," Hancock said.
The audience can take away more than a biography of a German transvestite, according to him.
"It's about truth and storytelling and living a life of who you really are."
The play was a Broadway blockbuster of 2004. It won two Tony's and a Pulitzer Prize. Gravois had seen the play and was enraptured. He sought the part immediately.
"I love that as different as she is from me, she is true to herself. She can be no other way," Gravois said.
"That is who I am."
The play runs until Aug. 27. Tonight is a pay-what-you-can performance. On other nights, students can enter free after getting passes from the box office in The UC.
