Joan Didion's memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking, tells her story of love, loss, and the power of grief to derange the mind. The play is Didion's own stage adaptation. It is a one-woman show, starring Judith Roberts as Joan Didion, under the direction of Sarna Lapine. In elegant, semi-poetic style, yet in no way obscurely, she takes us with her through her grief journey as she mourns the sudden deaths of both her husband and daughter, who passed away in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Such subject matter, one thinks, must surely be depressing. Far from it. Instead this play takes the audience through one woman's very personal chronicle; one in which she expresses feelings we can all relate to with heart and surprising humor and come out realizing that there is indeed light at the end of even the deepest of tunnels if we allow ourselves to walk through them.
Upon learning that this play was a one-woman show lasting approximately 100 minutes, I wondered whether it could sustain my attention for that long. I needn't have worried. Roberts' performance was at once engaging, making me want to hear everything she had to say.
The show begins with a dark stage. When the lights come up, a silver-haired, beautiful woman of a certain age is sitting on the a dock looking out over the ocean. She begins her monologue, telling us "this will happen to you." Not in a threatening way, but simply as a matter of fact.
She often speaks directly to the audience, but at times talks to herself. Her body language, facial expressions, and voice all convey the persona of an intelligent, accomplished woman who has always been in control of her life and is now faced with a situation she can't control. Yet she continues to attempt to do so, deluding herself that somehow her husband is going to come back, all the while knowing this is impossible. At times during the performance her walls come down and we see a glimpse of the unbearable pain simmering under the surface. Ultimately, we see glimpses of acceptance, and we know she is going to be all right.
Roberts' performance was so real that at times I found myself nodding and wanting to exclaim "yes, I know what you mean!" Not surprisingly, she has an impressive list of stage, film, and TV credits to her name, as well as having appeared in previous productions at the Intiman. The Intiman is fortunate to have the skills of such a talented actress on its stage.
The Year of Magical Thinking runs through September 20, 2009 (no performances Labor Day weekend due to Bumbershoot). For tickets, call 206-269-1900 or go to http://www.intiman.org/Tickets/
Photo of Judith Roberts by Chris Bennion
Comments