Every Brilliant Thing - Review

Reviewed by Giada

If I were to make a list of every brilliant thing worth living for – which is something I can actually do on my brand new notebook – this show would definitely be on it, somewhere between the smell of tobacco on my fingertips and fresh figs.

Although this wasn’t my first encounter with the play (its opening section is practically the textbook example of how to write a solo show), it was my first time experiencing it live. Most monologues move outward, pouring from the performer to the audience. What’s so magical about this one is the dialogue of forces: it pulls you in just as much, and asks you to take part in the action. Participation ranges from reading a small slip of paper to physically stepping in and improvising characters from the protagonist’s life. As a result, we’re transported into a shared dimension of memory, one we help build and collectively inhabit.

Each performance is unique. Not only because the audience changes each night, but because over the next three months, four different actors will take on the role. I had originally planned to see Lenny Henry, but due to a last-minute change, I ended up seeing Jonny Donahoe, the show’s co-writer and original performer, who has toured it globally for over a decade. Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins, and Minnie Driver complete the line-up.

For those unfamiliar with the piece, it begins with a seven-year-old boy who, after his mother’s first suicide attempt, starts writing a list of every brilliant thing in the world worth living for. We follow him as he grows up, hits milestones, builds a life, and reflects on the events that have most deeply marked him, from saying goodbye to his first dog to falling in love to confronting his own mental health. All under the enduring shadow of his mother’s illness. And throughout an ever-growing list - sometimes neglected, never abandoned - it anchors him to a life that keeps happening, nonetheless.

The production is stripped to its bare essentials: a few well-placed music cues, lights mostly up, a scattering of props, and the audience seated in the round, facing each other. Under the co-direction of Duncan Macmillan and Jeremy Herrin, every theatrical convention is set aside in favour of genuine connection.

Jonny Donahoe performs like a conductor, confident, deeply attuned, and utterly present. With the weight of years sharing this story, every word seems to live in his body. And when the narrative turns darker, he doesn’t shy away. He leans in, with clarity, with grace, with honesty.
Every Brilliant Thing is one of a kind. It feels like a grounding exercise. A testament to resilience and to the quiet power of noticing what brings you joy. It reminds us that by witnessing and searching for beauty around us, we can’t help but find it rooted within ourselves.

Every Brilliant Thing runs @sohoplace until 8th November 2025. Tickets are available from https://sohoplace.org/shows/every-brilliant-thing/