Richard Pryor's 'Heart Attacks' is a master class in vulnerability, physicality, and reckoning with death. JohnRoycomic writes
I had not seen “Heart Attacks” since high school. Perhaps I had subconsciously avoided it, because I was born with a congenital heart defect. I got this gig because I can write from a stand-up’s point of view, but I am unfortunately just as knowledgeable about how it feels to collapse on a sidewalk clutching my chest as I am about how it feels to joke about it. I should not have worried. My emotions were safe in Pryor’s hands.
Pryor begins the “Heart Attacks” bit by saying, “Had a little pain in my heart there.” It is unclear if he is joking. His initial worried facial expressions elicit uncomfortable giggles from the audience. Someone yells something, a reminder that stand-up requires concentration equal to live theater, with no “fourth wall” shielding the performer from audience interaction.
“Can I speak to God right away, please?” Pryor pleads at 23:49. His prayer is blocked by an indifferent angel. “‘I’ll have to put you on hold,’” Pryor says, creating a complete character for this seven-word impression. No part of “Heart Attacks” is too small to warrant his careful attention. As Pryor’s hope for survival builds, he mirrors it by starting to get up off the ground, only to throw himself back down when his heart discovers his efforts.
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