Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida

Eccentric, tormented and gifted, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is a playwright’s dream. This one-woman play, written by Humberto Robles is an attempt to produce a theatrical portrait of "the woman who gave birth to herself."

In Viva La Vida or "Long Live Life," Frida Kahlo, played beautifully by Gael le Cornecs tells us of the two accidents which shaped her life. The first happened when she was 18: the bus she was riding on collided with a trolley car causing an iron handrail to pierce her abdomen and her uterus. This left Kahlo with horrific injuries and seriously damaged her reproductive ability. The second accident she names simply as her husband – famous artist Diego Rivera.

The production is set in Kahlo’s front room into which she invites us for a party. Distributed across the stage are a bizarre mix of items – a bottle of tequila, numerous skulls, two paintings and a wheelchair. Viva La Vida is far from a linear biography of Kahlo’s life, it is a monologue interrupted by ramblings, eccentric dramatics and moments of utter silence, giving a delightful feeling of spontaneity to the proceedings. If the script deserves credit, its merits are only heightened by le Cornecs. She is truly outstanding as Kahlo, beautifully capturing the passion, torment and sexuality of a woman plagued by self-doubt, pain and, ultimately, talent. Frida Kahlo: Viva La Vida is a fascinating and compelling play, the success of which lies, a little too heavily, on a brilliant individual performance.