Starring Kathleen Chalfant, Keen Company's production of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking plays two benefit performances at the Players Club January 10 and 17. Adapted from Didion's memoir, the story recounts the author's journey of loss and grief and the resilience of the human heart.
When speaking with Playbill about taking on Didion's personal story, Chalfant said, “My job as an actor is to make the text live,” Chalfant explained. “All the information you need to get through this event is in the text. We share humanity, and our experience will inform this work.” To read more about how Chalfant and director Jonathan Silverstein brought this story to New Yorkers' living rooms last fall and handled the piece with respect, check out this interview.
Following the January 10 show is a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception for audience members to mingle with Chalfant. The production returns after having previously sold-out a site-specific run this past fall playing in apartments and community centers around the city.
This past fall, the show ran October 19-November 20, and was staged entirely in non-traditional theatre spaces. It featured costume design by Jennifer Paar and lighting design by Anshuman Bhatia, with the creative team also including line producer Corinne Woods and stage manager Arthur Atkinson.
For tickets, visit KeenCompany.org.