Mata Hari unveiled
Play reveals layers of dangerous beauty
By D.J. Kelly
Dancer. Courtesan. Spy. Who is the real Mata Hari? This is the central mystery of Diane Samuels’s play The True Life Fiction of Mata Hari.
The life story of this famous and dangerous beauty is complicated and fascinating. In the opening years of the 20th century, Margaretha Zelle moved to Paris where she performed as a horse rider in a circus, using the name Lady MacLeod. Struggling to earn a living, she also obtained work as an artist’s model.
In 1905, she began to win fame as an exotic Oriental-style dancer. It was then that she adopted the stage name Mata Hari. Promiscuous and flirtatious, she captivated her audiences and was an overnight success.
Mata Hari posed as a princess from Java of priestly Indian birth, pretending to have been initiated into the art of sacred Indian dance since childhood. Her willingness to perform in exotic and sexually explicit clothing made her exceedingly popular. She posed for provocative photos, and mingled in wealthy circles.
In short order, Mata Hari became a successful courtesan, and had relationships with many high-ranking military officers, politicians and others in influential positions in several countries, including France, Russia and Germany.
In happier times prior to the First World War, she had been generally viewed as a free-spirited bohemian. But as the times grew grim, she began to be judged as a wanton and promiscuous woman, and perhaps a dangerous seductress. Her liaisons with powerful men took her across international borders frequently, which eventually would lead to her downfall.
The True Life Fiction of Mata Hari picks up the story as the tide begins to turn for Mata Hari. On Feb. 13, 1917, she was arrested for passing military secrets obtained from her many lovers to the Germans.
Despite steadfastly proclaiming her love of France, Mata Hari is interrogated by two French officers who are convinced that everything she says and does is a lethal fiction.
Mata Hari is seen as the ultimate femme fatale and a dangerous spy. But the “truth” behind this remarkable woman is more complex, with many people having their own motives for their version of her story.
The play will be performed at the Reeve Theatre at the University of Calgary Nov. 28 to Dec. 9. Tickets, $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors, are available at the Campus Ticket Centre or 220-7202.