The Year of Magical Thinking

REVIEW: 'Year of Magical Thinking' at Court Theatre: Capturing real grief nothing short of magic

Fisher, whose performance is so technically perfect as to be dazzling, does not seek out the softer side of Didion for the Midwestern ear. Newell theatricalizes with organic dignity, filling out the memories with just enough of the performed. ... This production is true to the brilliant woman doing the thinking and, yes, the feeling.

REVIEW: Fisher finds her signature role in Didion

Court Theatre's Chicago premiere of "The Year of Magical Thinking" is nothing short of hypnotic. And Mary Beth Fisher, under the meticulous direction of Charles Newell, gives one of those piercingly brilliant solo performances that is so gorgeously nuanced and finely chiseled that it instantly engraves itself on your memory. She is sublime.

Two powerhouse actors tackle demanding one-person shows

"The late, great actress Jessica Tandy once recalled the terror of performing "Not I," a solo piece by Samuel Beckett. She told me that in the hour or so before each performance she began wishing she might trip over a cable backstage or become otherwise indisposed. Nothing too serious, of course. Just enough of an accident to prevent her from having to 'go on.'

Tandy's terror came to mind recently as I chatted with two actors who are now flying solo about the challenges they face."

Tony Adler of the Chicago Reader spoke with actress Mary Beth Fisher about performing Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking.

"Charlie [Newell] and I had the great, great honor and pleasure of meeting her [Joan Didion]. She invited us to tea in her apartment in New York. It was incredibly informative. We were able to sit with her for an hour and a half and ask her questions about her intention with the text. The first thing she said to me was, 'She's different at the end than she is at the beginning.'"