A young, Mexican woman opened her eyes and was immediately struck with pain. She carefully repositioned herself in her bed, so she could reach a set of nearby brushes and paints. To distract herself from the constant pain in her hip, Frida Kahlo would often paint detailed self-portraits from her bed.
Kahlo’s paintings have made her one of the most famous Mexican artists in history. Her life has inspired countless movies, TV shows, books, and artworks, so a new biographical musical does not seem too farfetched. On Thursday, it was announced that Kahlo’s life story will be coming to Broadway as “Frida, The Musical.”
It is set to open on Broadway in 2024, and tryouts will begin in 2023. Jaime Lozano will create the music, playwright Neena Beber will write the lyrics, and the producer will be Valentina Berger. The show will portray Kahlo’s journey from Mexico City to Paris to New York and finally back to Mexico. The beginning and the end will be in her childhood home, nicknamed the “Blue House,” where she was born and died.
Although Kahlo eventually became an international icon, she led a difficult and painful life. She contracted polio when she was 6, causing her right leg to become skinnier than her left leg. She developed a limp but continued to pursue her dreams. Kahlo enrolled in a predominantly male school in hopes of becoming a doctor, and she was thriving until a car accident fractured her spine and pelvis.
The car accident would define the rest of her life. It caused chronic pain that pushed Kahlo to start painting to distract herself. Her injuries appeared in her self-portraits as a split spine or a floating pelvis. In her later years, Kahlo’s damaged hip prevented her from giving birth and left her bedridden. She developed depression and thoughts of suicide.
Kahlo’s life is usually depicted as tragic and depressing due to the unfortunate events that led to her painting career as well as her struggles with mental health, but the musical aims to celebrate the more positive aspects of her story.
“We really want to see Frida through a wider perspective,” Lozano, who oversees the show’s music, said in a phone interview.
Berger, the producer, visited Kahlo’s family to get their approval for the musical and to gain insight into her life. They described how Kahlo was always laughing, telling stories, or singing with them. She was full of joy, and the musical wants to capture that side of her. The creators want to tell the whole story and have people look upon her with admiration instead of pity.
“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.”
Kahlo’s paintings have made her one of the most famous Mexican artists in history. Her life has inspired countless movies, TV shows, books, and artworks, so a new biographical musical does not seem too farfetched. On Thursday, it was announced that Kahlo’s life story will be coming to Broadway as “Frida, The Musical.”
It is set to open on Broadway in 2024, and tryouts will begin in 2023. Jaime Lozano will create the music, playwright Neena Beber will write the lyrics, and the producer will be Valentina Berger. The show will portray Kahlo’s journey from Mexico City to Paris to New York and finally back to Mexico. The beginning and the end will be in her childhood home, nicknamed the “Blue House,” where she was born and died.
Although Kahlo eventually became an international icon, she led a difficult and painful life. She contracted polio when she was 6, causing her right leg to become skinnier than her left leg. She developed a limp but continued to pursue her dreams. Kahlo enrolled in a predominantly male school in hopes of becoming a doctor, and she was thriving until a car accident fractured her spine and pelvis.
The car accident would define the rest of her life. It caused chronic pain that pushed Kahlo to start painting to distract herself. Her injuries appeared in her self-portraits as a split spine or a floating pelvis. In her later years, Kahlo’s damaged hip prevented her from giving birth and left her bedridden. She developed depression and thoughts of suicide.
Kahlo’s life is usually depicted as tragic and depressing due to the unfortunate events that led to her painting career as well as her struggles with mental health, but the musical aims to celebrate the more positive aspects of her story.
“We really want to see Frida through a wider perspective,” Lozano, who oversees the show’s music, said in a phone interview.
Berger, the producer, visited Kahlo’s family to get their approval for the musical and to gain insight into her life. They described how Kahlo was always laughing, telling stories, or singing with them. She was full of joy, and the musical wants to capture that side of her. The creators want to tell the whole story and have people look upon her with admiration instead of pity.
“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.”