Frida

This biographical play on the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Diana Tercero) is primarily concerned with her relationship to muralist Diego Rivera (Richard Falcón), a passionate and collaborative love that framed her life. It also incorporates Mexican folk art into the story, using a Judas figure (Diana Mandujano) to dramatize Kahlo’s inner conflicts—and to offer ribald commentary on all the human flaws of the players.

Tercero is intense and determined as Kahlo, although at times she seems too young to hold her own against Falcón’s larger-than-life Rivera. His emotional—and macho—outbursts overwhelm in intensity. But Tercero aptly portrays the burden of physical pain that the disabled and chronically ill Kahlo carried, and Mandujano’s Judas is an antic delight, offering comfort and provocation in equal measure while reminding us that great art, unfortunately, seems often to follow great suffering.

A collaboration between Teatro Espejo and California Stage, Frida will be performed in English and Spanish on alternate weekends. Shows are already selling out, so reserving tickets is recommended.