Jonny Donahoe Archives - North West End UK

Contact is an hour-long exploration of unresolved pain, blame and a yearning for love amid the messy realities of today’s nuclear family. It is caustically funny, filled with bathos and yet heart-felt as we peel away the characters’ anguish. A dysfunctional parent-child relationship is adeptly presented by Blythe Duff (Mother) and Mark Barrett (her adult son). Duff’s depth of expression, conveyed with minimalist physicality and restrained vocal range is hugely engaging. She is cold, verbally acerbic and cruel, yet her tears of frustration and pain are heart-rending. Some might call her descent into grief contrived. Yet, it was moving. Barrett plays the adult child (who feels the urge to build bridges, but ultimately, is as cruel as his mother in a more nuanced way) with an uneasiness th...

Every Brilliant Thing is a sweet, but ultimately flawed, play about depression, suicide and trying to get on with life. Stemming originally from a monologue written by Duncan Macmillan and developed with co-author Jonny Donahoe, the play is about a child dealing with their mother’s suicidal depression by creating a list of all the brilliant things that make life worth living. As the character grows older, the list takes on new meanings as they deal with their own depression. The show is at its best when its performer, Lenny Henry, is left to do crowd work, finding lots of humour in the script and playing the room brilliantly. The text frequently calls for audience members to play key characters in our protagonist’s life: his dad, the vet who put his dog down, his first love, Sam. Hen...

Tag: Jonny Donahoe

A Play, A Pie & A Pint: Contact by Jonny Donahoe – Traverse Theatre

Every Brilliant Thing – @sohoplace