One Actor, 35 Roles: 'I Am My Wife' Portrays a Transgender Life Through Tumultuous Eras

A compelling one-person play, 'I Am My Wife,' has opened at Doosan Art Center in Seoul, offering a profound look into the tumultuous life of Lothar Berfelde, a real-life German transgender individual known as Charlotte.

Performed by a single actor who embodies 35 distinct characters, the 120-minute play chronicles Charlotte's extraordinary journey through Nazi Germany, East Germany, and the unified nation. The production is an adaptation of American playwright Doug Wright's acclaimed work, which earned both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

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I became that furniture.

Charlotte, who identified as a woman and lived as a cross-dresser, faced immense challenges. The play delves into her experiences, including narrowly escaping death at the hands of Nazi secret police tasked with identifying draft dodgers. It also portrays her as both a victim and perpetrator, having suffered domestic violence and allegedly killing her abusive father. Records also suggest she worked as an informant for the East German secret police, the Stasi, leading to the imprisonment of those she reported.

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Museum, furniture, and men are the order of my life.

Despite living through such turbulent historical periods, Charlotte remained fixated on collecting Edison phonographs, clocks, and furniture produced between 1890 and 1900. In the play, she declares, "I became that furniture" and "Museum, furniture, and men are the order of my life." This reflects how she symbolized her identity through the objects she cherished, objects that might have otherwise been discarded, highlighting her struggle for recognition as a complete human being in a society that often marginalized her.

Director Kang Ryang-won noted in his director's statement, "We do not know Charlotte. Or perhaps, we do not yet possess the language to fully express her." He described her as "infinitely weak yet strong at times, pure yet sometimes cunning, a truthful human being who is also skilled at deceiving people – human beings exist in that contradiction and complexity." The play, which features actors Ji Hyun-jun and Baek Sung-kwang alternating in the role, runs until July 12th, marking its return after its premiere in 2014.

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We do not know Charlotte. Or perhaps, we do not yet possess the language to fully express her. ... human beings exist in that contradiction and complexity.