Actress and Emmy Award-winning host Fernanda Kelly, will finally get to play one of the women she most admires, the iconic artist/feminist and advocate, Frida Kahlo, in the worldwide premiere of the English interpretation of I Am Frida Kahlo. This play, which has been previously performed only in Spanish, will be presented in English for the first time in Los Angeles beginning Saturday, October 29 with additional performances on Sunday, October 30; Friday, November 4; and Saturday November 5. This will be the first public theatrical performance at the newly inaugurated Cerritos College Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art facility featuring a 400-seat theater. 

Fernanda Kelly has an accomplished career in theatre of nearly 20 years. Some of her credits include Are You Bringing Something From Mexico? with Off The Tracks Theatre Company and AmorEs and Ramera, with the prestigious Nirvana Theater Company. Her most recent television credits include the Peacock drama-series Bel Air executive produced by Will Smith; the FOX action-thriller drama 9-1-1; Amazon’s original crime drama Too Old To Die Young; and Hulu’s sitcom Black Jesus. Kelly also has a successful 20-year career as a television host and journalist in the US Hispanic market earning two Emmy Awards and three Telly Awards for her work as the host of the hit national morning show LAnzate on Univision network.

“Having the opportunity to do I Am Frida Kahlo is a dream come true for me as an actress. I have been yearning for a role like this my entire career and now that I finally have the opportunity to give life to such an iconic Mexican idol, I feel extremely humbled, Fernanda Kelly shared. “I feel an immense sense of responsibility to do justice to a woman who has inspired so many Latina/es like me, to live life unapologetically and with purpose.”

I Am Frida Kahlo is an original play written and directed by Cerritos College Spanish Professor Froylán Cabuto, who recounts Frida Kahlo’s story as never seen before. The surrealist performance has Frida Kahlo telling her own story as she sees it. It will delve into the artist’s tumultuous life through eight extraordinary monologues performed by Kelly. The storytelling is enhance through expressionist dance, used help visualize Frida’s memories, taking the audience on a journey between the world of the living and the dead. The live orchestra and digital media elements will help immerse the audience in her beautiful journey.

Kahlo was fragile in stature and “broken”, as she often self identified, but the strength with which she lived her life is explored as well as the creative process through which she developed some of her most outstanding works of art while giving light to current social and political issues.

I Am Frida Kahlo is choreographed by Beatriz Eugenia Vásquez, with original music and musical arrangements by Otto Cifuentes.

For tickets to this highly anticipated new show CLICK HERE.

Fernanda is currently one of the co-hosts of Univision radio’s Levantate con Ysaac Alvarez, a syndicated morning show on Uforia’s K-LOVE 107.5 PM in Los Angeles. She is also an entrepreneur in the fashion industry as CEO of the female clothing line NYTAQ and founder of The Medical Gown Project. As a passionate activist Kelly has dedicated her time to uplifting and giving a voice to the voiceless within the Latino community and fighting for immigrant rights nationwide. 

The post Fernanda Kelly Stars as Frida Kahlo in the World Premiere of ‘I Am Frida Kahlo’ Beginning October 29 first appeared on .

Kahlo has inspired Grace since childhood. She first learned about her through the Frida Kahlo-adorned matchboxes and coasters her grandmother would bring over from Mexico City. As she grew older and started to learn more about Kahlo’s life, Grace became enthralled by the ways in which the Mexican painter redefined beauty standards and broke down the boundaries places on gender, race and sexuality.

“In contrast to classmates and casting directors who criticized me for not being ‘white enough,’ Frida made me feel beautiful for my bushy eyebrows and black hair,” Grace said. “When I listen to these songs, I hear my transformation from an angsty teen to a semi-independent young adult. It’s such a special project to me, and I knew that it had to be my artist introduction to the world.”

While the FRIDA EP is inspired by a feminist icon, it’s also an exploration of the ways in which Kahlo’s legacy has helped shape Grace into the woman and artist she is today.

Weaving Spanish and English lyrics throughout the EP as well as a blend of traditional Latin sounds and modern pop melodies, Grace has created an ode to her bicultural roots. Her narrative-driven lyricism with each song delivering dual stories that tie back to both Kahlo and Grace’s lives. Aventura is about adventure and affairs, something that Grace has always admired in Kahlo’s rich life. Girl Fight is a queer, feminist anthem that was inspired by Grace’s favorite Kahlo story: after her husband, Diego Rivera cheated on her, she had an affair with the same woman. Aztlan is about the mythical homeland of the Aztec people and pays homage to both Grace and Kahlo’s ancestors. Lastly, Relámpago is all about coping with pain — the physical pain Kahlo suffered due to her near-fatal bus accident and the emotional trauma Grace dealt with after being sexually assaulted.

Grace launched her music project last year with a string of singles. Her mixed musical influences are reflective of a globalized upbringing— she learned how to love from Selena, make witty comebacks from Shania Twain and turn pain into art from Lauryn Hill. In addition to her budding music career, Grace has also performed on Broadway and Lincoln Center stages, been featured at Tribeca Film Festival and acted in a multitude of films and TV shows.

The 21-year-old New York City born-and-raised songstress has also had an impressive career in social justice. As an activist, she attended her first protest at the age of 13, has volunteered with community-based organizations in Harlem, and has worked in both the Bronx and the U.S. Senate to defend immigrants facing deportation — a cause close to her heart as a second-generation Mexican-American.

FRIDA will be available Now.

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“There’s still a long way to go,” stated Hilda Trujillo, Director of the Frida Kahlo Museum to the AP about verifying the voice in question.

What do you think? The iconic Mexican painter was a heavy smoker and drinker, and naturally one would think her voice would be raspier and with more of a hard edge to it.

Trujillo also said, “I personally think the art world has to be very strict in its judgment and can’t rush to assumptions.”

According to researchers at Mexico’s National Sound Library, investigations will involve sound library officials, engineers, audio experts and still living sources. There is optimism, and Trujillo admits, “there are still enough elements to do a rigorous analysis.”

The audio clip is said to come from a 1950s pilot episode of the Mexican radio program, The Bachelor, consisting of a woman describing Kahlo’s former husband. The first batch of digitized recordings of this show began in 2007.

Spanish to English translation, the woman’s voice says, “He’s a large child, massive, with a friendly face and sad look. His bulging, dark, intelligent and big eyes are difficulty detained.”

What do you think?

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We all think we know about Frida. But Odalys Nanin’s Frida Stroke of Passion production at Casa 0101 takes you beyond what you know and gives you insight into the last week of Frida’s painful end. When this play was last seen in 2017, it ran for three months. Unfortunately, this production of Macha Theater’s Frida Stroke of Passion at Casa 0101 which runs Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays is all sold out!

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who painted many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Born in 1907 with polio, she was destined to live her life in pain after a traffic accident at age eighteen caused lifelong pain and medical problems. She joined the  Mexican Communist Party, which led to her meeting her future husband and fellow Mexican artist Diego Rivera. She traveled abroad where her art gained international acclaim and picked up more popularity after her death.

There is a lot to love about this production; the constant drama, the pain of both body and soul, and Frida’s love of life moments — all delivered by a talented cast of twelve.

Nanin embodies the spirit of Frida in a nuanced performance and transformational portrayal. Sandra Valls stands out as famous Mexican singer Chavela Vargas, and one of Frida’s lovers.

As Frida’s life comes to an end so does the play with an unforgettable wake and procession that will stay with you long after the play has ended. Chavela is there to honor Frida with accented her beautifully haunting song as the cast of characters in Frida’s live all pay tribute to an icon in the art world, who inspired a nation by representing their culture, while bold examining the issues of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society.

The small procession of Frida’s funeral attended by all her loves, beginning with her “Toad Face” Diego Rivera (Oscar Basulto). Also joining in are Frida’s other lovers Tina Modotti (Mantha Balourdou); Josephine Baker (Ebony Perry); Maria Felix (Marjorie Burgos); Cuban Teresa Proenza (Kesia Elwin); and her Nurse Judith (Tricia Cruz).

But this is hopefully not the end of Frida Stroke of Passion, it must live on in another production! Make sure you catch that one.

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