On Theater: A mournful, ‘Magical’ offering
Linda Purl has come a long, long way since she played Fonzie’s girlfriend on TV’s “Happy Days” in the 1970s. Check out “The Year of Magical Thinking” at the Laguna Playhouse to see just how far.
Purl, alone onstage in a play devoid of an intermission, brings the double tragedy suffered by noted writer Joan Didion — the loss of her husband and daughter in a span of two years — into sharp focus in what must be termed an extraordinary performance.
To say that Purl “plays” Didion is somewhat inaccurate. Rather, she “inhabits” Didion, truly “becomes” her with a fierce and unyielding conviction that elevates the stunning effect of her solo performance.
It’s a huge personal triumph for the actress, whose resume includes the portrayal of leading characters in plays such as “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Glass Menagerie,” “A Doll’s House,” “The Little Foxes,” “The King and I” and, yes, even “Grease.”
Purl, under the sensitive directorial hand of Jenny Sullivan, begins with a quiet dinner at home with her husband of nearly four decades, the equally celebrated author John Gregory Dunne — at which Dunne suffered a fatal heart attack. Purl brings the horrifying event up close and personal for an electrified audience.
It is, in fact, Purl’s intimate connection with her audience that elevates this outpouring of Didion’s twin heartaches. As Dunne succumbed, her daughter Quintana was lying in a hospital bed with septic shock resulting from pneumonia. After her recovery, not two years later, she suffered a massive hematoma and died at age 39.
Purl employs a deep, authoritative voice to bring Didion’s inner struggles into the light. She details how the author held steadfastly to the belief that Dunne would recover and return to her, even months after his death (hence the “magical thinking” of the title). The book that inspired this theatrical piece had been completed and Didion was on a promotional tour for it when Quintana was fatally stricken.
Purl engages her audience with her informal, extremely candid approach to Didion’s horrific period from December 2003 to August 2005. Her all-consuming love for both husband and daughter is laid bare with raw emotion tinged with measured intellectual banter. She attempts, often successfully, to put this personal double whammy into reasoned perspective.
The star of a one-person show runs the risk of overstaying his or her welcome. Not Purl, who engages her audience from the outset and draws viewers into her troubled world until the final fade-out leaves them desiring more, almost reluctant to applaud and terminate the intimate visit.
“The Year of Magical Thinking” requires a firm investment from Laguna playgoers, but this ultimately pays dividends with a magnificent performance from Purl.
TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot.
IF YOU GO
What: “The Year of Magical Thinking”
Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 2 (additional performance Oct. 30 at 2 p.m., and no 5:30 p.m. show on Nov. 2)
Cost: $36 to $61
Information: (949) 497-2787 or https://www.lagunaplayhouse.comhttps://www.lagunaplayhouse.com
