Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillian and Jonny Donahoe – ★★★★☆
Have you ever wondered, or even tried, to make a list of every brilliant thing you can think of? The things that make life worth living, the ones that fill you with joy and make you laugh so hard you end up crying?
You don’t have to think too long. Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe gives us a list of one million reasons to live. In this one-act, one-person show, we follow the life of a seven-year-old boy, played by Sir Lenny Henry, as he moves through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
We journey with him as he navigates his mother’s suicide attempts, her depressive episodes, and eventually her death - a rollercoaster of love, laughter, and loss.
For a play that places mental health at its core, Macmillan keeps the tone light enough to be accessible while never shying away from the weight of the subject. Death is a hard story to tell; suicide, even harder. Yet over 75 minutes, the audience is engaged and reminded of the heaviness without ever feeling unwelcome in the space.
From the moment Henry enters, his presence fills the room. He connects instantly, weaving through the audience as they settle into their seats. We quickly learn there is no fourth wall - everyone in the room is part of the story.
Henry is the perfect match for this role: bold, witty, and instinctively in tune with the crowd. He moves effortlessly in and out of character, commanding the space with a measured pace. He roams every corner of the stage while keeping his focus locked on the people in front of him.
In what often feels like group therapy, Henry navigates each scene with just the right level of weight or levity. We laugh, shout, cheer, sing, and even stand to dance; never once losing connection. He carries the emotional depth of each life stage while preserving the innocence the role demands.
The set is stripped back but welcoming, giving the audience space to become part of the story. @sohoplace has been cleverly reimagined, with Jack Knowles’ lighting adding quiet but powerful shifts in mood. The mix of scripted moments and improvisation feels effortless, a credit to both the writing and the sure-handed direction of Jeremy Herrin and Macmillan.
What makes this show electric is that no two nights are alike. The audience isn’t just watching, they’re shaping the performance. That unpredictability keeps it fresh, but it also calls for real craft. Every performer has to know when to follow the moment and when to guide it back on course.
This play captures the magic of theatre: its intimacy, its immediacy, its ability to turn strangers into co-conspirators. As the list unfolds, it’s impossible not to feel the urge to start one of your own — a memory jar, a notebook, a mental inventory of joy. Because, as the story reminds us, “things get better; they might not always get brilliant, but they get better.” And there is beauty in that.
Every Brilliant Thing is showing @sohoplace until 8th November.
★★★★★☆
By Eniola Edusi
