Every Brilliant Thing, Summerhall Review
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
Every Brilliant Thing returns to the Fringe this summer, ten years on from its debut. Written and directed by Duncan MacMillan and performed by Johnny Donahoe, whose interpretation of the text has been integral to its development, this is the story of a 7 year old boy who, in the wake of his mother’s depression that has driven her to “do something stupid”, decides to make a list of everything that is brilliant in the world in an attempt to cheer her up.
The list is at the heart of the piece, moving from simple childhood pleasures like “ice cream” and “ people falling over” through to the philosophical ramblings of the teenage University student and into adulthood where the pleasures become more grown-up and better informed, but without losing the love of a simple thing that can bring you joy.
Donahoe engages with his audience from the very start, handing out cards with items from the list written on them which we are then called upon to read out as the play progresses. Other audience members are invited to take on the roles of people in our characters life, going from his father to a caring teacher, lecturer and even the family vet. Their involvement helps to draw us in to the story and also, because of the audience members' reactions, means that the story plays out slightly differently at each performance, often providing laugh-out-loud moments.
These moments are important as without them this could be a very bleak piece of writing as it covers severe mental health issues experienced by the mother, and our central character talks about his own experiences with depression and therapy. It tackles the stigma around mental health brilliantly, and despite covering such a potentially heartbreaking subject, it does so in a way that is somehow life affirming and joyous at the same time.
Every Brilliant Thing has sold out its entire run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe but if you can somehow get a ticket, it is an exceptional piece of theatre that I can’t recommend highly enough. If I was to make my own list of brilliant things, this play would definitely be on it.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
