Every Brilliant Thing

Every now and then, along comes a drama that tackles a societal taboo so deep and so pervasive that you wonder why there aren’t more works about it.

Written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, both return in a new run of Every Brilliant Thing which will see five actors - Minnie Driver, Lenny Henry, Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins and Donohoe himself - take turns appearing in this one-man play..

Macmillan returns too, co-directing with Jeremy Herrin (Best of Enemies, A Mirror, Long Day's Journey into Night). They have worked together before when Herrin helmed the Macmillan-written People, Places, Things, another drama which looked at the impact of mental health not only on the victim but their family and friends. This Fringe favourite last year celebrated its 10-year anniversary playing in the 167-seater Edinburgh Roundabout and has now been seamlessly scaled up to for the 600-capacity Sohoplace..

First up is Henry. Once a stand-up comedian and now a knight of the realm and social activist, this isn’t a man who was ever bored of hearing his own voice. And yet, still, here he delivers a nuanced and effortlessly charming performance where the silence is as powerful as anything else. No-one could accuse him of having a “boring” childhood: named after the doctor who delivered him, he found out early on that his biological father wasn’t his mother’s husband but instead a neighbour he did chores for. He was still a teenager when he stepped into showbiz, a journey he has continued on for over four decades.

Normality may be a sociological concept but Henry’s upbringing will no doubt have given him insight into this relatable story. As a child, our protagonist’s acutely depressed mother does “something stupid” and lands up in hospital. Their response is to itemise whatever gives them joy, a project which grows and grows beyond his youth, into university and for many years after. The relatable narrative is fleshed out by the narrator’s father, their partner and the various “brilliant things” they identify - all of which are evoked by willing members of the audience.

There’s no fourth wall here as the audience is primed from before the beginning to join in with the story. Cards are handed out with several of our narrator’s “Brilliant Things” to be read out at the right time while a few in the stalls are tasked with taking on the roles of the family members. Henry is the ringmaster, calling in the necessary responses as he rolls through the story. It’s an endearing technique that lends an immersive feel to the proceedings. Rather than being told a story, we are all part of it and so the emotional beats hit harder and deeper.

It’s not a long play, clocking in at around 75 minutes, but even with its black undertones it stays with you long after you’re outside the theatre.

Photo credit: Helen Murray