Burbage Theatre Co presents the heart-wrenching, hysterical, and life-affirming one-man show Every Brilliant Thing, by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, and directed by Angela Brazil. The production features Stephen Thorne in a monodrama the whole audience can participate in. This means every show, despite the script, will be slightly different! Thorne effortlessly rolls with on-the-spot banter that always results in laughter. Funny how this production deals with depression and suicide, yet you walk away feeling renewed.
“We’ve been hoping to produce this play for years, and we couldn’t be more excited to open our 14th season with it— especially in the hands of two legends of Rhode Island theatre,” says BTC’s Artistic Director Jeff Church. “Duncan Macmillan’s Every Brilliant Thing is a triumph of storytelling: honest, challenging, often hilarious, and one of the most life-affirming pieces I’ve ever encountered. It captures the profound sadness and joy of living, examining and revealing, with great care and originality— something essential in all of us. I feel incredibly fortunate to have them leading this production, and can’t imagine a better team to bring Every Brilliant Thing to life. They’re joined by an exceptional group of Burbage artists— some of our very best— to support and shape this beautiful piece of theatre.”
As Burbage tells it, imagine you’re seven years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a numbered list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for: ice cream, Kung Fu movies, laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose… and you leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling.
Soon, the list will take on a life of its own, growing throughout the years listing, well, every brilliant thing. It’s a play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.
Thorne, who carefully handles childhood emotion evolving into adult problems, does an amazing job of directing us gently through the list while never missing a beat. Quick with improv as needed, he guides us through the laughter (and the tears) as he enlists the audience into his world. He has said, “It’s essentially a one-actor show and it was written in about 2012. It’s about depression and it’s about resilience. I say depression, but it’s actually an incredibly funny show. The energy of the show is incredibly light and up. It’s about hope as well, and how to kind of navigate incredibly difficult situations, in this really unique format. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece.” Maybe even a masterpiece.
“As a director, you just kind of try and support the actor as much as you can,” says Brazil. “This is a little bit of a unique situation because he’s actually also my husband. We’ve been long-time colleagues at Trinity Rep in Providence and we have a really good working relationship. We also have a really good shorthand as colleagues, so I guess my job is to sort of, as with any director, sort of see all the great stuff that the actor is bringing and help shape it. But in this context, also try to help provide some of that audience energy that is so necessary for this particular piece. The actor in this piece has a really unique relationship with the audience. I find it really exciting. It’s doesn’t work like a typical play where you sit back and just watch the story, and that’s been a really exciting and fun thing to play with.”
You don’t really know what to expect when you enter Burbage Theatre and take a seat in the round set. The only prop is a braided rug before you, so as not to distract from Thorne’s dynamic activity. Do take a moment to notice behind the seats to the left, where set designer Trevor Elliott and ATD Brittany Costello have created a thoughtful, nostalgic setting with an array of props that sit quietly.
Brazil and Thorne hope you’ll walk away with a feeling for how the production explores this character’s Journey— how to navigate life, particularly things that are very difficult, and to allow yourself to find joy and hope, even how to earn hope.
“You do not want to miss this production,” says Church. “It’s got everything that drives us to the theatre in the first place— comedy, drama, honesty, deep feeling, and challenging subject-matter, all framed by the simple shared experience— the shared struggle and joy of living.”
Burbage Theatre presents Every Brilliant Thing through September 28. For more information, visit https://www.burbagetheatre.org/.