“This Frida, opening the 2021-22 season at Portland Center Stage at the Armory, is holding its own. Like the brave brash bisexual Frida Kahlo known as much these days for her penetrating, sometimes psychologically bizarre self-portraits as for her marriage(s) to Mexican painter Diego Rivera, the piece is unapologetic, strange and beautiful —words that describe both the human Frida, who died in 1954 at 47, and Frida: A Self-Portrait.”
“Directed by Joanie Schultz, Severo makes masterful use of the simplest things. The set consists of three clotheslines hung with costumes, which become multiple settings and a good-sized cast of characters. For a solo show, it often feels like there's an ensemble on stage, which is due to Severo's ability to quickly transform herself and also to imbue small movements with large doses of meaning. In one brief but striking scene, she plays two characters at the same time -- the gimmick is so simple, but it still felt like magic.”
Interview with Vanessa on Oregon Public Radio.
(it’s fantastic. you should listen to it.)