I’m sure everyone has heard of or watched the hit musical Hamilton, revolving around the fascinating tale of Alexander Hamilton. Valentina Berger saw this and decided that she was going to create a show that revolved around one of the most well-known painters we know today.
Frida Kahlo’s life was saddled with many griefs and pains, and, unlike many of our fairy tale heroes, she buckled under the weight of it all. Kahlo contracted polio as a child, which meant she had a slight limp through her life. Then she got into a fateful bus accident, forcing her into over 30 surgeries and having to stay in her bed for around three months.
This was when she started to produce her famous self-portraits, like “The Broken Column” to express how she was feeling during this part of her life. Now, Valentina Berger is making a musical about Kahlo’s life, showcasing the true her and not the painted Frida Kahlo.
This is also the first production to be endorsed by the Kahlo family, with the events also being based on a book that her niece wrote and also family accounts about Kahlo. Despite how much merchandise and artwork depict her as a bubbly feminist icon, with historians portraying her as a depressed and torn woman, most of her family recounts happy and fun moments with Kahlo, thinking about the joyful moments spent with her.
This show’s playwright Berger is extremely excited to show the world her humor and sarcasm, which she believes is not captured enough in her depictions. The songwriter Lozano has already finished a few songs, with one being about Kahlo’s freedom, called “Wings.” This song may have been an inspiration from this quote from Kahlo: “Feet,” she proclaimed, “What do I need you for when I have wings to fly.” This quote came from when she was suffering with chronic pain and often bedridden.
Frida Kahlo’s life was saddled with many griefs and pains, and, unlike many of our fairy tale heroes, she buckled under the weight of it all. Kahlo contracted polio as a child, which meant she had a slight limp through her life. Then she got into a fateful bus accident, forcing her into over 30 surgeries and having to stay in her bed for around three months.
This was when she started to produce her famous self-portraits, like “The Broken Column” to express how she was feeling during this part of her life. Now, Valentina Berger is making a musical about Kahlo’s life, showcasing the true her and not the painted Frida Kahlo.
This is also the first production to be endorsed by the Kahlo family, with the events also being based on a book that her niece wrote and also family accounts about Kahlo. Despite how much merchandise and artwork depict her as a bubbly feminist icon, with historians portraying her as a depressed and torn woman, most of her family recounts happy and fun moments with Kahlo, thinking about the joyful moments spent with her.
This show’s playwright Berger is extremely excited to show the world her humor and sarcasm, which she believes is not captured enough in her depictions. The songwriter Lozano has already finished a few songs, with one being about Kahlo’s freedom, called “Wings.” This song may have been an inspiration from this quote from Kahlo: “Feet,” she proclaimed, “What do I need you for when I have wings to fly.” This quote came from when she was suffering with chronic pain and often bedridden.
