Theatre Kingston Presents

The Year of Magical Thinking

A one-woman display of loss and transformation.

A woman stares into the camera alongside a graphic with the show's title and information about showtimes.

Synopsis

In this dramatic adaptation of her award-winning, bestselling memoir, Joan Didion transforms the story of the sudden and unexpected loss of her husband and their only daughter into a stunning and powerful one-woman play.

“This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago but it won’t when it happens to you….”

Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times called the memoir that was the basis for the play, “an indelible portrait of loss and grief … a haunting portrait of a four-decade-long marriage.”

The prospect of losing a loved one is something nobody wants to talk about, and nobody thinks will happen to them, and yet inevitably it comes to us all. Journalist and author Joan Didion wrote this play to help us through this extremely complex experience. Anyone who has experienced loss will find encouragement in Didion’s exquisitely shared story, and no one will fail to be moved by this play.

Joan McBride delivers a commanding solo turn, capturing both the clinical detachment and the shattering vulnerability of Joan Didion and highlighting the production’s emotional honesty, and successfully honoring Didion’s exploration of sudden loss and the messy, non-linear reality of mourning.

Venue

Theatre Kingston

Homestead Baby Grand Theatre

218 Princess Street

Kingston, ON

Showtimes

October 2026

  • Tuesday 13 at 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday 14 at 7:30 PM
  • Thursday 15 at 7:30 PM
  • Friday 16 at 7:30 PM
  • Saturday 17 at 2:00 PM
  • Sunday 18 at 2:00 PM
  • Tuesday 20 at 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday 21 at 7:30 PM
  • Thursday 22 at 7:30 PM
  • Saturday 24 at 2:00 PM
  • Sunday 25 at 2:00 PM
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