While browsing the LineUp for the Autumn season at the MAC, I noticed a play entitled, ‘I A My Own Wife’ with the caption – a one woman show performed by a man. For one, I’ve always liked the idea of a one person show, but a one woman show performed by a man sounded very interesting indeed!
The blurb for the play describes it as “the real-life tale of German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Charlotte lived openly as a cross-dresser for almost her entire life under two of the most conformist regimes of the 20th Century, Nazism and Communism.” Naturally I was intrigued, this sounded like nothing I’d seen before.
We decided to make a night of it, eating at the MAC’s restaurant, Canteen before we saw the show and got 3 courses for £18. Between our group we sampled the Dry Aged Beef Burger (which came served on a delightful wooden board), the Cajun Spiced Chicken, the MAC & Cheese and the Puff Pastry Tartlette, all of which were delicious and beautifully presented. To start we also had the Grilled Black Pudding (which I highly recommend – it comes with bacon pieces and a poached egg) and the Twice Baked Gruyere Cheese Soufflé. For dessert we sampled the Apple & Blackberry Crumble and the Dark Chocolate Peanut Brownie, which came served on slate, a lovely touch. All of the food that we tasted was perfect and our server was extremely attentive, we were even having such a good time that we took advantage of the MAC’s £5 Friday cocktail deal.
After dinner we headed into the theatre after filling our bellies and were soon alerted to the fact that we’d arrived on the wrong night -the ultimate faux pas! Luckily the staff were on hand to save our night from disaster and disappointment and sorted us out with some seats for that evening’s show.
The set was simple, a grand room with wooden floors and sloping angles and a table and two chairs towards the middle – a chandelier hung from the ceiling, and large mirrors hung from the walls. The lights dimmed and the sole actor of the show, John Cronin stepped out onto the stage.
From that moment on, the audience were captivated as Cronin acted out 36 different characters using a variety of accents, languages and dialects. The story was astounding, you could’t have made it up, and Cronin’s efforts to recreate the many colourful characters was fantastic. If you didn’t think that a story about a German transvestite was your thing, I guarantee that Doug Wright’s play would entertain even the most cynical of minds; it was humorous, informative and painted a picture of von Mahlsdorf’s world that you couldn’t help but dive right into.
I Am My Own Wife basically tells the story of transvestite antiquarian Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf – born Lothar Berfelde and how she survives (and even thrives) through both Nazism and Communism. She killed her Nazi father, escaped from prison and even escaped a firing squad when she was only a child. This is a remarkable and true story that will never leave you, and I urge everyone who is even a little bit curious, to see this play!
