Every Brilliant Thing

This is a hit play that has been around for quite some time although it has only got to London this summer. A uplifting play about mental health, depression and the small joys of life, with one performer telling the story of their mother and something of their own life with the help of audience members.  The different performers plus the audience interaction means it is different each night and in this run we have already had Lenny Henry, Sue Perkins, Ambika Mod and Jonny Donahoe (one of the original co-creators) .   When we arrived, Minnie Driver, the final performer in this run, was already bustling around the auditorium, talking to audience members as they arrived, and handing out cards.  We were in the gods so too far away to be involved.

The actual play itself is pretty short but effective, and I absolutely get why the audience were given the cards to read out, although I couldn’t always hear what was being said, depending on how loud or where in the auditorium the audience member was.  This, along with the whole room collaborating in other crowd fun and nonsense was great in creating a collective experience.  What I did find difficult though were the longer interactions with audience members.  Firstly I get stage fright on behalf of audiences asked to ad-lib, secondly, some of the more detailed interactions were so detailed they felt rehearsed and a bit fake which sort of spoiled those parts for me (I understand that the audience members are chosen each night and primed, pre-performance).  I get how ridiculous my discomfort is, given that a play by its very nature is fake, but it distanced me from the play somewhat. I don’t think everyone felt like that though, and it was powerful in laying out the facts and giving us some sobering thoughts about suicide and mental health in general, as well as showing the willingness of people to help, which was, in itself, pretty uplifting. 

Despite my issues, I liked the way that this isn’t something fixed, but will differ depending on who is there each night both performing and in the audience, a nice metaphor for life really.  I hope all of us took away at least one brilliant thing to note and feel glad for.