Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Soho Place, London
Cast: Sue Perkins
Every Brilliant Thing is a play that tells the story of a child who decides to create a list of all the things that make life worth living to help their mother following her suicide attempt. Throughout their life and into adulthood, the list continues to grow as they learn more about themselves and have more life experiences. This is an impactful and powerful play that explores the lengths we will go to for those we love.
A few weeks back, we were lucky enough to see Every Brilliant Thing open at Soho Place with Lenny Henry at its helm. However, the one-hander play has rotations of five actors tackling the role over four months; Lenny Henry, Donahoe, Minnie Driver, Ambika Mod, and last night's lead, Sue Perkins.
Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe have crafted such an incredible script with Every Brilliant Thing. Seeing two actors tackle the same script made it even more apparent how structured the writing is, but somehow manages to have the flexibility to adapt to each narrator's own sense of identity and comedic style. For example, Perkins leaned more into the comedic style of narrating, whereas Henry's was far more profound and emotional. Neither right nor wrong, simply each actor's interpretation of the same text - and it makes for such an interesting watch.
Every Brilliant Thing is no stranger to the stage and has been performed in over 80 countries worldwide, but somehow only made its West End premiere last month. If you're unfamiliar with the story, it follows a seven-year-old whose mother makes an attempt on her life. To aid his mother through her recovery, the narrator (Sue Perkins) decides to make a list of "every brilliant thing" she can think of. Throughout the narrator's life, the list follows her, ever-growing and ever-changing with age and experience.
For this iteration of the production, every audience member was given a piece of paper on arrival with a prompt; a chance to speak up and contribute the "brilliant thing" you were given; whether it be something fun like ice cream, or something more profound like waking up next to someone you love. Audience participation is incredibly important in this production and remains so throughout the entire performance. With so much of the show unplanned due to audience's reactions and responses, there is a huge amount of ad-lib to contend with as the narrator, and Sue Perkins does this ease. Her experience in stand-up comedy shines through in these segments, volleying between audience members expertly; the wit and banter with which she comes up with on the spot is ridiculously impressive.
With the seats in Soho Place being in the round and the use of the house lights up for the entirety of the production, it creates an atmosphere that is so unique in theatre and almost feels as though you're talking to a friend, rather a piece of theatre.
The emotional depth of this piece is the most integral part to connecting to the story, which I personally didn't feel as strongly for this time round. However, the person I attended with did, so I think your connection will differ dependent on who the narrator is, and what kind of person you are, which is another aspect I found simply fascinating.
Every Brilliant Thing is the hope and joy that not only the West End needs...but also the world. A perfect fusion of comedy and heart. And a showcase as to just how brilliant these actors are, handling such difficult subject matters and still managing to ensure the audience leaves the theatre with a smile on their faces and happiness in their heart.
You can book tickets to see Every Brilliant Thing, here.
**photo credit: Danny Kaan**
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