The world theatre premiere of The Danish Girl became a test of tolerance, paradoxically also within the Czech trans community
The story of the first transsexual who decided to undergo surgical sex reassignment was written in 2000 by David Ebershoff under the title The Danish Girl. However, this life story received worldwide attention only after it was adapted into a film (2015) by director Tom Hooper, who cast Eddie Redmayne as the painter Einar Wegener. He gradually transformed more and more into a woman - Lili Elbe - in front of the audience. Daniel Krejčík, who plays the lead role in the world theatre premiere of The Danish Girl at the Divadlo Na Fidlovačce in Prague, is now undergoing exactly the same "metamorphosis". And the responses vary from enthusiasm to sheer incomprehension, but there is also the classic problem of our time - "hits". These (surprisingly for many) come also from the trans community...
Who has the "right" to play trans characters?
Not so long ago, America was rocked by a "scandal" regarding the casting of Scarlett Johansson in a film in which she was to play a trans man, the mobster Dante Tex Gill (it was a true story of a woman who felt like a man and acted like one). Although the actress eventually withdrew from the project after being pressured, the truth is that there is a fairly long tradition of casting mainstream actors/actresses as trans characters (and we certainly don't want to use tradition to justify this practice). In addition to Eddie Redmayne, one can name Hillary Swank (Boys Don't Cry), Felicity Huffman (TransAmerica), and Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club). The list could certainly go on and on.
Regardless of whether or not such a practice is correct, the possibilities are certainly wide in the USA and the film industry there already offers an adequate number of trans actors who also possess the same acting qualities as any of the stars of the screen. But they, on the other hand, can certainly play characters who are not trans - this then follows from the logic of the matter, which Johansson herself expressed when she remarked that as an actress she feels competent to play any person, tree or animal because it is simply the nature of her work.
But the situation in the Czech Republic is undoubtedly different. Trans actors/actresses are quite a scarce commodity in our country, as the series Most has already proved. It also brought a part of the spectrum of viewers out of their chairs, on the other hand, it must be added that not only because the trans woman was played by a "real" woman (or a woman who had not undergone gender reassignment), moreover, dubbed by a gay man, but also in general because of the way the character, as well as those with whom she interacted, was written.
However, one certainly can't deny Bridge for drawing attention to the subject, while at the same time the creators were already pointing out that they had failed to get a trans actress. Let alone a trans actress who would be willing to market her skin, which is simply not common in the Czech Republic yet. Many people who undergo gender reassignment simply burn bridges to their previous identity (Most - notBridge!) and don't want to be associated with gender reassignment. So calling for the correct portrayal of trans status in the Czech Republic is rather toothless. The absence of trans-actors is not due to discrimination, but simply to the fact that trans-actors are not running the streets in droves (at least not yet). Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the situation will be different in time, but this is a matter of development (and acceptance within society), in which, at least as far as trans rights are concerned, the Czech Republic has a lot of catching up to do. At the same time, projects such as The Bridge or The Danish Girl can undoubtedly contribute to the acceptance and understanding of trans people by sparking a society-wide discussion.
The Danish Girl as another step in the normalization of transsexuality
While Most brought the topic of transsexuality into the Czech mainstream media, Danish Girl does the same on the theatre stage. Yes, one could say that the performance is not quite perfect. Jiří Korn's role in the first half comes across as rather ad hoc (not to mention the fact that he also brings up the subject of drag, which can be confusing to an unfamiliar audience in the context of transsexuality), the musical component is not very cohesive and it is up to everyone to judge how necessary the almost musical performances are in such an intimate story. Conversely, in some scenes where one actually gets chills, the humour soon comes in after a tense moment that needs time to "sit down" (especially in the case of an audience that has no knowledge of the issue). Unnecessarily. Instead, it would have been enough to let the situation die down and give Daniel Krejcik the space to be more of a "Danish girl". Because regardless of any possible criticisms against the whole performance, he handles his role excellently. It's just a shame that the humour and the attempt to be funny at all costs is at the expense of focusing on the actual feelings of a person going through a sex change. Yet there can be no doubt that even in a more intimate form Krejčík would have "pulled off" his character (as would his co-stars - Petra Horváthová, who portrays his wife Greta, and Aneta Krejčíková, who in alternation with Vanda Hybnerová takes on the role of the opera singer Anna, whom Greta portrays) .
Despite its minor imperfections, however, The Danish Girl is a performance that is definitely worth seeing (and experiencing). Many of the scenes (e.g. the moment when Einar looks at himself in the "mirror", in which his character is subsequently replaced by a female character) are indeed very powerful and imaginatively conceived. And if it contributes even a little bit to raising awareness about the issue of gender reassignment (and transsexuality as such), it will definitely serve its purpose. And maybe in a few years we will reach a similar state in the Czech Republic as in the USA and there will be a choice of actors/actresses not only according to sexual orientation (no, real gays and lesbians don't even play gays and lesbians in our country...), but also gender identity. So far, though, some critics are really barking at the wrong door.
The Danish Girl, Divadlo Na Fidlovačce (2019), directed by Jakub Čermák, dramaturgy and dramaturgy by Kateřina Jonášová, starring Daniel Krejčík (Einar/Lili), Petra Horváthová (Greta), Aneta Krejčíková/Vanda Hybnerová (Anna), Jiří Korn (Dr. Bolk), etc.
