4 Fridas (1993/94)

"4 Fridas" begins with 4 women, a Frida Kahlo Look-alike Contest, a man [Diego Rivera] and a gun.

What evolves is a funny, insightful, crazy look at what happens when a strong, passionate woman decides to participate fully and equally in this thing called "life". Behind the many faces of Frida Kahlo, lies a world that is full of colour and sensuality, strength and fragility, humour and pathos. Like so many powerful women, she is a complex of tumultuous opposites.

"4 Fridas" consists of fragmented and layered scenes: a combination of dance, physical theatre, text and standup comedy. This work aims to bypass the brain and reach straight to the heart via the senses. Colour, form, smell, touch, crackling energy are used to evoke the interior landscape of women split by their need for dependence and independence - success and intimacy.

Two stories are told in this fractured, imagistic narrative: the past story of Frida Kahlo and the present day story of women competing in a modern day contest to embody her true spirit. We are lead through the contest and Frida's life with comedic, irreverent patter.

At the beginning of the piece, a watermelon falls off the canvas and splits open, spilling its seed and juice. Young Frida begins to dance. Through intense physical movement, the famous accident that changed the course of Frida's life is brutally re-enacted with one of the Frida characters twirling and swinging out of control at the end of a trolley strap hung from the ceiling. Her life is aglitter with love, seduction and twists amid the profane, bitter aspects of constant struggle. Through it all, Frida's lust for life reaches out and touches the hearts of many, a trademark which has made her the icon she is today.