I had not realized that distinction in the versions. But it brings up a good point: intermissions, certainly in 2018, can make even the most gripping material feel attenuated, if the overall impact of the performance is diluted. A one person piece that has a break needs to be substantive enough to demand it. Even if the actor prefers the break, an audience, not held by emotional suspense, is given a chance to leave the experience, and then return. Sometimes, the clean delineation adds. But in a show built on anecdotal reminiscence, it's hard to justify.
I remember when Redgrave did "Year of Magical..." on B'way. Wisely, it was kept to 90ish uninterrupted minutes. A break would surely have marred its trajectory, the story of a unexpected death and illness. That play, about Didion's interlocking crises with her husband and daughter, had dark, tragic dimensions, and still didn't send us out for air.
By the way, a sidebar: Is "Magical Thinking" ever performed without a known actor? I'm curious how such pieces play when the event isn't layered, i.e. a star playing a celebrity. |
