Anna Burnside reviews 'a masterclass in tackling trauma with drama.'
Ice cream, rollercoasters, staying up past bedtime and watching telly. For a seven-year-old boy, even one whose mother has just tried to kill herself, these are the things that make life great.
He makes a list for her, but it doesn’t noticeably help. Ten years later, he adds his teenage obsessions: Sigourney Weaver, the even-numbered Star Trek movies.
The list helps him when he falls in love and in the aftermath of his own crashing breakdown.
Every Brilliant Thing delighted audiences when it first played in Edinburgh 10 years ago. In the intervening decade there have been many, many plays about mental health, but this remains a masterclass in tackling trauma with drama.
A lot of this comes from the structure. Duncan Macmillan’s script calls for most of the audience to join in at some point. This is the opposite of social contagion - we are tackling the problem by working together.
Jonny Donahoe’s performance is pitch perfect, charming, vulnerable, flexible. When he has to borrow a book from an audience member, and she gives him Period Queen, he makes it work.
There is a judicious amount of excellent music, used to make points and for dramatic tension, not just as an easy fill or emotional short cut. It’s uplifting without offering the theatrical equivalent of the group hug. And it’s funnier than many “comedy” shows. Despite being about suicide.
Every Brilliant Thing performs at The Roundabout at Summerhall until August 24, 2024. Check the theatre box office for returns as it is currently sold out.
RSS