'The Year Of Magical Thinking' - Vanessa Redgrave

This evening Chris treated me to a front row seat to see Vanessa Redgrave in 'The Year Of Magical Thinking' at The National Theatre, a play by Joan Didion based on her memoir of the death of her husband and daughter. It played on Broadway last year with Vanessa in the same role, so it's a role she's very familiar with.

The play is very much 'Joan' talking to us about the circumstances of the deaths of her family in the space of a year - her husband and her only daughter - how she tries to rationalise it and understand it, explaining her perception of what happens when someone dies and how people respond. It sounds gloomy but it isn't really. It's about an intelligent woman left alone in the world and trying to make sense of what happened around her. It's quite touching in that respect and anyone who's lost a close family member will be able to relate to some of the feelings exposed.

It's a one-woman show. Vanessa comes out and talks for 90 minutes - I didn't feel 'acted at' at all, she was going through those emotions and thoughts in front of me. It was Vanessa sitting in a chair in the middle of an empty stage, the backdrops changing now and then and very effective and subtle lighting. The only thing that threw me for the first few minutes is that she uses an American accent which I wasn't expecting. It's a thoughtful piece and thought-provoking. Enjoyment is the wrong word, but I'm pleased that I've seen it.

Vanessa Redgrave is a great actress and it's an experience to see her. I saw her a few years ago in a Greek tragedy that was not a great experience. The play I still regret not seeing is when she was in 'Anthony & Cleopatra' in the '80s. I'm sure she was magnificent as a mature Cleopatra.