A History We Never Knew We Had

Jonathan Riker as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf in I Am My Own Wife at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. Photo credit: Michael Brosilow.

A review of I Am My Own Wife

by DevinReigh Endries, age 14

The show I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, which played at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, is a look into the life of Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf, a museum personified, encapsulated in time, from the playwright’s perspective while interviewing her about her lifetime of becoming a queer icon and symbol of peace.

The show is written from Doug's knowledge given to him by years of research and personal encounters with Charlotte, telling the story of how she lived through multiple wars while still being openly gender-nonconforming, depicting her hardships, heavy accent, and personal struggles with her best friend, mother, and siblings all being taken away from her throughout her long life.

While I only speak for myself, I think I can confidently say that every single person in the theater had a shift in their thinking during the show, whether it relates to how they thought of the people around them, or how they perceive theater, as it was a one-person show. Personally, this was my first time experiencing a one-performer show and I WILL be doing it again. The performer (Jonathan Riker) was phenomenal. I’m not sure how to put into words how personal their performance felt; every time they shifted characters, I forgot that it was only one performer with no costume change most of the time. Every detail was there, from the accent and character presentation through facial movements, to even how the character would sit in their chair. I struggled to figure out what the actor’s original accent was because their German accent was so convincing.

Especially with shows of this caliber, it has to be said that theater is political—there’s no way around it. From shows like Hair and Hadestown to Hamilton and Evita, most musicals and plays have political undertones, which in our current political state can be comforting to some and eye-opening to others. With this show, I think it is the latter. I Am My Own Wife is a look into someone's life who couldn't feel comfortable in their own skin for their childhood, being told they were just playing dress-up and should find a wife soon, diminishing their self-esteem and presence. And this show perfectly executes the heavy political tone of this show, with the lighting (designed by Maaz Ahmed and Claire Michels) and sounds (designed by Josh Schmidt and Martilia Marechal) playing a large part of this, from gunshot sound effects to dark spotlights to show how Charlotte felt in these moments. 

To truly convey the message of this show, I want to present some of the show’s quotes that I think really represents the show at its core:

"Complicity in this country should always be treated as a criminal act." 

"You are teaching me a history I never knew I had." 

“I need to believe in her stories as much as she does. That [Charlotte von Mahlsdorf] navigated a path between the two most repressive regimes the Western World has ever known - the Nazis and the Communists - in a pair of heels.”

To conclude, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Doug Wright for writing such a powerful story and sharing it with people to consume. I also want to praise Jonathan Riker for such a moving and genuine performance of Charlotte, their portrayal being so lively and in-depth that I believe it made Charlotte smile. Thank you Doug for teaching me and everyone in that theater a history we never knew we had.

See more shows like this at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre!

Full designer credits: directed by Alexander Coddington; designed and created by Maaz Ahmed, Sarah Hunt-Frank, Adam Hastings, Leo Madson, Martilia Marechal, Raeleen McMillion, Jazmín Aurora Medina, Josh Schmidt, Lauren Marie Stoner, Simone Tegge, Grayson Thobe, Dev Wiensch, and Emily Marie Wilke.