The renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is an inspiration to many. Her incredible story of persistence and growth motivates many young artists to pursue their talents and explore new things. In recent years, she’s been especially popular, with Kahlo-themed movies, T-shirts, and tote bags flooding the market. Now, a musical of Kahlo’s life story is in the making.
The musical is scheduled to come out in 2024, with music and lyrics by Jaime Lozano and Neena Beber, and is being produced by Valentina Berger. It will be titled “Frida, The Musical,” following her life from Mexico City to Paris to New York and back to Mexico City.
Although much is already publicly known about Kahlo, the writers of the musical hope that the production will bring untold details and personal stories about Kahlo’s life into the eyes of the public.
The musical managers were able to get ahold of Kahlo’s family in Mexico, making it the only musical based on Kahlo to get the permission of her immediate family. Kahlo’s niece, Isolda P. Kahlo’s book “Intimate Frida” heavily inspired the musical.
Art historians tend to focus more on the mental and physical suffering Frida went through—shown clearly in many of her paintings—as opposed to the savvy, creative woman she was. The creators of “Frida, The Musical” wanted to portray the genuine Frida, not the one depicted in her paintings.
“Everyone knows a colder Frida, a suffering Frida, but she loved life,” Berger said. “She was really, really fun. That’s what we want to portray. I used to have a sad view of Frida, like, ‘Oh, the poor woman.’ Now, knowing how she was so smart and so clever, I look up to her.”
“Frida, The Musical” definitely isn’t the first production to hone in on Kahlo’s life. A 2002 biopic “Frida” starred Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina as Frida and her husband Diego Rivera, respectively. Her estate has announced that a TV series about her life is in the works.
However, Berber doesn’t have a problem with it. “Why are people still doing Shakespeare?” she said. “Why are people still finding ways to make ‘Hamlet’ exciting? How many self-portraits did Frida do? Quite a few. I think there’s room for multiple Fridas. We want to bring our own passions, love, interests, and pain to her story. Let there be many Fridas.”
The musical is scheduled to come out in 2024, with music and lyrics by Jaime Lozano and Neena Beber, and is being produced by Valentina Berger. It will be titled “Frida, The Musical,” following her life from Mexico City to Paris to New York and back to Mexico City.
Although much is already publicly known about Kahlo, the writers of the musical hope that the production will bring untold details and personal stories about Kahlo’s life into the eyes of the public.
The musical managers were able to get ahold of Kahlo’s family in Mexico, making it the only musical based on Kahlo to get the permission of her immediate family. Kahlo’s niece, Isolda P. Kahlo’s book “Intimate Frida” heavily inspired the musical.
Art historians tend to focus more on the mental and physical suffering Frida went through—shown clearly in many of her paintings—as opposed to the savvy, creative woman she was. The creators of “Frida, The Musical” wanted to portray the genuine Frida, not the one depicted in her paintings.
“Everyone knows a colder Frida, a suffering Frida, but she loved life,” Berger said. “She was really, really fun. That’s what we want to portray. I used to have a sad view of Frida, like, ‘Oh, the poor woman.’ Now, knowing how she was so smart and so clever, I look up to her.”
“Frida, The Musical” definitely isn’t the first production to hone in on Kahlo’s life. A 2002 biopic “Frida” starred Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina as Frida and her husband Diego Rivera, respectively. Her estate has announced that a TV series about her life is in the works.
However, Berber doesn’t have a problem with it. “Why are people still doing Shakespeare?” she said. “Why are people still finding ways to make ‘Hamlet’ exciting? How many self-portraits did Frida do? Quite a few. I think there’s room for multiple Fridas. We want to bring our own passions, love, interests, and pain to her story. Let there be many Fridas.”
