I Am My Own Wife

The Pulitzer- and Tony-winning I Am My Own Wife had a long and complicated road to Seattle. Originally scheduled for a slot at the Empty Space, playwright Doug Wright’s critically acclaimed work was left in limbo by the Space’s closure back in 2006. Then after a brief tussle over rights between the Seattle Rep and Arts West, the smaller company won; hence the belated Seattle premiere on Wednesday (it continues through June 1). So is the script worth all of the tussle? It depends on how compelling you find the true story it’s based on, that of a German homosexual who murdered his father during World War II, renamed himself “Charlotte,” and lived under both the Nazis and the Communists wearing women’s clothing and collecting antique furniture. (OK, aren’t you the least bit compelled?) The one-man show stars local actor Nick DeSantis in the large, but no doubt stylish, shoes of Charlotte. Arts West, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 938-0339, www.artswest.org. $10–$29. 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., also 3 p.m. Sun., May 25 & June 1. Ends June 1. JOHN LONGENBAUGH
Wednesdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Starts: May 14. Continues through June 1, 2008