I Am My Own Wife

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 14, 2005 7:45PM

No weekend is complete without some cross-dressing action. Fortunately for you, "I Am My Own Wife" has extended its run at The Goodman Theatre through February 20.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall, playwright Doug Wright travelled to Berlin and met transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf. Born in 1926, Lothar Berfelde adopted the transvestite life during his teenage years, becoming Charlotte. Such "sexual deviants" were often killed by both Hitler's Gestapo and Communist dictatorship, but Charlotte found ways to survive, often by informing on others. "Wife" is Wright's attempt to tell her story.

Tony-winning actor Jefferson Mays not only stars as Charlotte, but also manages to play the show's 34 other characters.

Originally staged in 2002 by Chicago's own About Face Theatre, "Wife" premiered on Broadway before returning to Chicago, the first stop on a national tour. Tickets ($20-$60) are available by calling Goodman at 312-443-3800.

Thanks, Aaron