Kathleen Chalfant will reprise her performance of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking for two benefit performances at the Players Club January 10 and 17. The site-specific production from Keen Company had a sold-out run this past fall playing in New Yorkers' living rooms and community centers around the city.
Jonathan Silverstein returns to direct the performances. Following the January 10 show, audience members will have the chance to enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres with Chalfant. 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 Silverstein brought this story to people's homes and handled the piece with respect, check out this interview.
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.
