New State Fair play, El Bus de Frida, celebrates Frida Kahlo and other trailblazing women

In a new play performed at the California State Fair on Friday, a magical bus took viewers through the life of Frida Kahlo, celebrating the Mexican artist and paying homage to other trailblazing women in Latin America and the U.S.

El Bus de Frida, inspired by the bus accident that drew art to the center of Frida’s life as a young adult, was held at the PG&E Center Stage at Cal Expo to an audience of dozens. The show features eight singers who each play a prominent woman in the arts, such as Chabuca Granda, Elis Regina and Ella Fitzgerald.

“This is not a regular, traditional play,” said director Raquel Ruiz. “(It) goes place to place, like the bus, with theatrical script written by me and with music, dance, poetry and based on the magical realism genre of literature that Gabrielle Garcia Marquez really put out.”

During one of the solos by Colombian singer and dancer Totó La Momposina, “Los Sabores del Porro,” audience members joined the dancing in front of the stage alongside performers.

Ruiz said it was a wonderful coincidence and “really meant to be” that Kahlo’s birthday of July 6 and death date of July 13, the same month as the State Fair.

“I want people to be educated about all these women that, as you said, were pioneers in their countries, and they are really important in their culture and in the music and in the art of the whole world,” Ruiz said.