Adaptation of Joan Didion’s memoir is brutally honest and painfully cathartic
This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem like a while ago, but it won’t be when it happens to you.”
Thus begins Joan’s harrowing journey. The Joan I am speaking of is the author Joan Didion played with marked precision by local favorite Billie McBride. The play is The Year of Magical Thinking, a one-woman narrative written by Didion and adapted from her award-winning memoir of the same name and currently playing at Aurora Fox Black Box Theatre.
“And it will happen to you. The details will be different, but it will happen to you.”
Joan’s words cut through you. And she spares no one as she recounts the details of losing her husband, author John Gregory Dunne, and shortly thereafter her only daughter Quintana. Her husband dies on a night that must have felt like hundreds of others – dinner at home, nothing special. Her daughter dies several years later after a series of medical mishaps and missteps.
Didion is talking about grief. Gut-wrenching grief. But the play is about more than that. For one thing, it is about a marriage lasting decades. Dunne was both her longtime companion and occasional collaborator. They lived life in Malibu and later New York City. And it is also about raising a child with the assurance that Didion would always be the child’s protector, yet somehow failing.
The play is filled with precise details making the theatrical presentation jump off the page and into the present moment. For instance, Didion itemizes the timeline from the apartment to the hospital down to the very minute — from when the ambulance arrives, to the departure from the apartment to the arrival at the hospital. This recollection is both excruciating and somewhat understandable. Remembering the details sets Didion apart from other writers.
Although as somber as the subject matter may seem, Didion does interject humor throughout. Upon arrival at the hospital after John collapses, she proclaims, “There’s something else to remember. If they give you a social worker, you’re in trouble.”
As Joan, McBride delivers a highly measured performance. She commands the stage for 90 minutes, never relinquishing control of Didion’s words or intentions. She is comfortable sharing Joan’s innermost feelings with those who have gathered. It is a master class in stage acting. McBride, an award-winning actor and director, can add The Year of Magical Thinking to her long list of accolades.
Christy Montour-Larson’s direction is seamless and thoughtfully conceived. The progression of the story never falters, although at times it is a little too understated.
The scenic design by Brandon Philip Case is appropriately austere. Nestled in a playing area covered with sand is a single chair and table. It provides for no distractions. Special recognition goes to the lighting design by Brett Maughan for the use of colors that illuminate the background. Never overpowering, but always right on. The wardrobe, attributed to Terri Fong-Schmidt, is character appropriate and appealing.
Finally, Didion proclaims, “I warned you. I’m telling you what you need to know. You see me on this stage, you sit next to me on a plane, you run into me at dinner, you know what happened to me. You don’t want to think it could happen to you.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Both brutally honest and painfully cathartic, Aurora Fox delivers yet another heightened theatrical experience with The Year of Magical Thinking.
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