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| Julie-anne Saroyan - Corey Philly - Melanie Yeats - 18 April 2024 |
I took the bags [after Dunne’s death] of his clothes] to St. James’. One day, a few weeks later, I gathered up more bags and took them to John’s office where he had kept his clothes. I was not yet prepared to address the suits and shirts and jackets but I thought I could handle what remained of the shoes, a start.
I stopped at the door of the room. I could not give away the rest of the shoes. I stood there for a moment, then realized why: he would need shoes if he was to return. The recognition of this thought by no means eradicated the thought.
I have still not tried to determine (say by giving away the shoes) if the thought has lost its power.
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion - the ordinary instant
Today is my Argentine birth certificate birthday, April 18, 1943. Tomorrow is my Rosemary's real birthday, April 19 1944. My father forgot to register me when I was born 31 August 1942.
I am placing these dates here because in tonight’s play The Year of Magical Thinking at Burnaby’s Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, the director Melanie Yeats chose like Didion to emphasize the importance of dates.
This one-woman play, Corey Philley, with sparse and elegant production by Julie-anne Saroyan where you cannot possibly sit comfortably in your chair. You are on the edge not wanting to miss what Philley is going to say. The play is 90 minutes long (no intermission) but time seems to pass quickly. Those who have read Didion’s book (I have) are alert as to what director Melanie Yeats will pick from the book.
I was especially hoping that Philley would, in her impersonation of Didion, might mention John Gregory Dunne’s shoes.
She did!
It was satisfying but anybody who listened to everything else that was said tonight would know that Didion would never forget, (and leave behind) the memory of her husband’s death (30 December 2003) and her daughter Quintana (26 August 2005).
My Rosemary died on 9 December 2020 and Didion on 23 December 2021. I started reading The Year of Magical Thinking on October 2021. I was astounded from the beginning to find out that Didion started writing the book two days after Dunne died.
I have now read all of Didion’s book essays and while I have lost my melancholy for my loss I find that have a companion in my grief. That Didion is dead, makes no difference.
Tomorrow Saturday is the last showing of the play. I recommend it highly.
