"I Am My Wife" — One Actor Fills a Small Stage with Charlotte's Life
Creatrip Team
a month ago
The solo play "I Am My Wife," staged at Doosan Art Center Space111, dramatizes the life of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (샤로테 폰 말스도르프), a real German transgender cross-dresser who survived both Nazi Germany and East German socialism. In a demanding one-person format, a single performer portrays up to 35 roles while the playwright Doug interviews and reconstructs Charlotte’s past. The double-cast season features Ji Hyun-jun, whose nuanced physicality and language solidly anchor the character, and Baek Seok-kwang, who uses a resonant voice and precise diction to distinguish male roles and draw the audience in. Though the genre’s gaps require audience imagination, the play transforms the confined stage into a rich memory space. Viewers should note the performance runs two hours straight without intermission and that seating comfort and sightlines (especially for low or corner seats) may affect the ability to catch subtle expressions and rapid role changes. The production runs through the 12th at Doosan Art Center Space111 in Jongno, Seoul.
