With a premise like the one mentioned for Every Brilliant Thing, it is seldom that one can go through the entire play without feeling a sense of alienation from the theme in an attempt to keep oneself safe from the seriousness of it. But Every Brilliant Thing amalgamates the journey of a seven-year-old child grappling with her mum’s depression and suicide attempts with such tenderness and light humour that one can’t help but simply connect completely with the whole of it, while holding a smile through it all. The narrator (Minnie Driver) starts writing down every brilliant thing about the world at seven, a list that continues well into her adulthood, hoping to change her mother’s perspective on life.
Driver brings a sense of sublime charisma to the character, inviting her audience into the action with perfect ease and warmth. For a play which highly depends on audience participation, she doesn’t fail to make her audience feel safe and connected. Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe have found a fine balance between humour, sensitivity, drama and connection of the story and its themes to a varied audience, with the show being performed in over 80 countries. Moreover, Soho Place Theatre offers the perfect setting of intimacy for the show while offering the grandeur of the West End. And this had been used for phenomenal staging by Jeremy Herrin & Duncan Macmillan, with Driver keeping the momentum of the story with consistent movement.
A big shoutout to audiences who brought the show to life by participating as readers of brilliant things in the world, and also playing some important characters like the Vet, the Father of the protagonist, the lover, Sam, the librarian and the university lecturer. The only issue, however, and understandably, was that sometimes, we missed some of the lines read by audiences. They helped create such uniquely beautiful and satisfying moments with Driver’s subtly humorous improvisation tactics. Music is a central theme to the show, and Tom Gibbons’ sound design moved the narrative in different directions with clarity and purpose.
This show is a must-watch for an evening of delight, tenderness and a love of life!
Running till November 8th at the Soho Place Theatre.
Reviewer: Khushboo Shah
Reviewed: 22nd October 2025
North West End UK Rating: