Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing turns some serious subject matter – depression and suicide – into a humorous play about all that is brilliant in the world.

“The list began after her first attempt,” says actor, Jonny Donahoe, signalling the start of the play. “Number one: Ice cream.”

The actor then calls out numbers as random audience members answer with things like “Dangermouse” and “weeing in the seA and nobody knows.”

They’re reading favourite things from Jonny’s list, which accounts Every Brilliant Thing in the world.

The list was first created, we discover, as a way to make his mum happy. Jonny is seven when he finds out his mum is in hospital.

The producers of this play take audience involvement to the next level, as Jonny makes someone in the crowd his Dad. He insinuates that ‘Dad’ picks him up from school, the audience member forced to drive a make-belief car. Then, the roles reverse, and all of a sudden Jonny is Dad, and the audience member is Jonny. Each time Dad says something, the audience member responds with 'why?'

Like any annoying seven-year old, his repetitive questioning gets the better of Dad, who eventually gives up and tells us why Mummy is in hospital.

“Your mum has done something stupid… she wanted to die.”

Insert the next audience victim – Mr. Patterson, the school counsellor. Jonny runs through another scenario where ‘Mr. Patterson’ takes off his shoe and then his sock, and turns it into a sock puppet. Seven-year old Jonny then talks to the sock puppet, explaining his list of brilliant things.

The play goes on through Jonny’s life, revisiting the list at pivotal moments ­–­ his mum’s second, failed attempt and him telling her to jump off a bridge if she wanted to do it right; his first love and how she found his list and encouraged him to continue it; when he discovered he was depressed; and then finally, his mum’s third and last attempt ending with car fumes and a garage.

Although the topics were heavy, the actor injected a huge dose of funny with his awkward charm and lust for audience participation.

Every Brilliant Thing  pokes fun at what most would consider often-bleak situations, exploring not only the serious side, but the brighter side too. 

Originally published in X-Press Magazine