‘Every Brilliant Thing’ Brodway review: Danel Radcliffe Shine
Discussions about mental health are finally becoming commonplace in society. Therapy and psychiatrists are no longer an anomaly in everyday conversations, but suicide and suicidal thoughts are still taboo. In their gripping play ‘Every Brilliant Thing’, co-creators Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe tackle suicide and deep-seated depression with a levity and humor rarely before depicted on stage. The solo production, starring Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe, is unique and exciting and reminds viewers of the magical and, Yesbrilliant delights.
Directed by Jeremy Herrin and Duncan Macmillan, “Every Brilliant Thing” opens as the unnamed narrator (Radcliffe) lists some of the things he finds most enticing about the world: ice cream, roller coasters and his dog, Indiana Bones, to name a few. The narrator further reveals that he started this list in the fall of 1996, when he was seven years old. He started making it, he says, when his mother was first admitted to the hospital. Initially told from his childish perspective, the narrator recalls a disorienting, puzzling day when his father picked him up late from school. Without the ability to really understand his mother’s illness, other than his father saying she “did something stupid,” he explains how it all felt to him. After being left to his fate, the narrator compiles a catalog of his personal pleasures to cheer up his mother.
After explaining all the books, music and the school librarian and her lovely sock puppet Poppy Terrific, who carried him through this time, ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ moves forward decades. The narrator thinks back to his mother’s second hospitalization, which he admits he did not handle as well as he did as a child. He talks about his student days, illustrates the joy of budding love and depicts a wedding and a funeral. In the meantime, he continues to add to the list, even as his own mental health begins to falter.
The distinctive character of “Every Brilliant Thing” cannot be underestimated. In the Broadway production, the audience sits both in the house and on stage with Radcliffe, forming a circle around the performer. With minimal props and no other castmates, Radcliffe interacts directly with the audience. Audience members are given numbered cue cards and asked to recall the many satisfying things on his list. Others provide props such as pens and books. Meanwhile, some are asked to appear as characters in the play, including the father, the narrator’s lover, and Mrs. Patterson, the kindly librarian. Throughout, Radcliffe playfully improvises with his ‘co-stars’, bringing them out of their shells or responding to their idiosyncrasies. As a result, no two performances are ever the same. This distinctive character allows theatergoers to more fully participate in a story that focuses on life and surrender to the human experience, rather than simply acting as passive observers. This promotes a level of camaraderie rarely found on Broadway.
The play, in turn, requires a certain type of performer to carry the story throughout its 70-minute running time. Radcliffe lends himself beautifully to the material, while at the same time allowing the audience to curate the experience themselves. He is energetic, serious and sincere from the moment the production begins until his last line. As an actor, he delivers a wonderful comedic sensibility that might not land so eloquently in other hands. It’s clear that the actor from ‘Merrily We Roll along’ and ‘Harry Potter’ is deeply committed to the play and its themes, so the tone never feels too light nor does he drag the audience into a dark cave of despair.
Broadway performances, despite their sensational acting and writing, often follow a certain set of conventions. However, “Every Brilliant Thing” shatters the format, making it a real breath of fresh air. The show’s script references the difficult topics of depression and suicide. Still, the show reminds us that amid all the challenges and heartaches that life has to throw at us, there is always something to look forward to, even if just for a little while.
