Who exactly was Charlotte von Mahlsdorf? Brendan Hanson is the latest actor to take on the much sought-after role of a homosexual transvestite who fought against the odds.
There have been many plays written about characters from the LGBTI community, centering on real-life characters drawn from different genres and periods of history. More than often, they deal with the complexities and turmoil of life where the human spirit can eventually triumph.
While that can sound clichéd to the cynics, it is actually something we not only all relate to, but also aspire to. Whether it’s the joy of The Sound of Music or the horror of Schindler’s List, such stories win us over because dealing with adversity somehow makes us stronger and strengthens our humility.
I Am My Own Wife is one such soul-stirring play, detailing the life of homosexual transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. So who was Mahlsdorf?
As a child, Mahlsdorf (born Lothar Berfelde) killed his father in self-defense, and survived both the Nazi and Communist regimes. She was not only forced to join the Hitler Youth, but later spent time in a psychiatric institution and juvenile jail. Managing to survive, Mahlsdorf went on to establish the Grunderzeit Museum, featuring everyday items from the founding era of the German Empire. This establishment also became a popular meeting place for the East Berlin gay community.
However, her struggles didn’t stop there, with both the East German government and neo-Nazis attempting to destroy the museum. Eventually Mahlsdorf received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in later years conveyed her story to playwright Doug Wright who created this Pulitzer Prize winning play.
The one-man show, which features over thirty characters, has been produced from Sweden to Montreal and Athens to Tasmania. Having toured earlier this year with an outstanding performance by Ben Gerrard, I Am My Own Wife is now playing at Perth’s Black Swan Theatre, with Brendan Hanson.
Hanson, who studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) has his work cut out, given there are over thirty roles.
“It’s a unique process doing a one person play,” says Hanson. “Normally I don’t learn my lines until rehearsals commence but obviously that’s not possible with 70 odd pages of text, and 36 characters with accents. So I’ve been learning my lines over the last three months on the treadmill at the gym, on the train, wherever and whenever I get a spare moment!”
Hanson, who became a household name as an I Will Survive finalist, researched the role not only by reading Mahlsdorf’s autobiography, but also studied the famed German Jewish sexologist, and gay/transgender advocate Magnus Hirschfeld. His book Die transvestiten played a pivotal role in Mahlsdorf’s life.
The play itself has become a renowned and celebrated piece of theatre, going on to win Tony Awards for best play and actor. While the current show is directed by . it has had varied interpretations including last year’s production in Chicago with four actors in the role and featured the first trans actor as Charlotte.
For Brendan Hanson, the role is one he holds in great esteem, with an understanding of its melancholy yet uplifting ambiance.
“I Am My Own Wife, is a beautifully crafted and evocative play. It invites the audience to make up their own mind about the central figure of Charlotte. She is charming, playful, intelligent and complex. It encourages the audience not to judge her for who she is or even the choices she has made, but deftly inspires empathy for a person who has experienced and endured so much.”
I Am My Own Wife is playing at the Black Swan Theatre Perth
