I think I only briefly mentioned reading Joan Didion‘s memoir, The Year of Magical Thinking earlier this year. That brief mention in no way reflected my opinion of the book. In fact, my reluctance to address my thoughts in this blog probably stemmed from the emotional weight of reading it and my own inability to write about the topic at that point. Well, here’s my second chance.

On Thursday night, some friends and I, saw Vanessa Redgrave portray Didion in a monologue on Broadway, based on the book. Redgrave was absolutely lovely and a true artist, commanding the stage for a full hour and a half with no intermission, conveying utter grief and heartache throughout. An extremely moving performance.

If you read the reviews, like this one, you’ll discover that the book does not translate directly to the stage performance, and I agree. You can hear the calm and quietness of Didion’s voice in the book come through Redgrave on stage, but Redgrave also portrays the thing that is behind the calm quiet voice of Didion — the emotional pain that in the book she talks of silencing for the benefit of others. Here is the place where it is shown for all to see, and I found it to be beautiful. And because of this, I continue to rave about the performance, and so have the audiences.