What to expect from the performers of 'Every Brilliant Thing'

Five incredible performers — Jonny Donahoe, Lenny Henry, Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins, and Minnie Driver — are taking on solo show Every Brilliant Thing during its three-month run at @sohoplace.

Summary

• Five performers such as Sue Perkins and Ambika Mod are doing Every Brilliant Thing in rep at @sohoplace until October
• Jonny Donahoe first performed the role more than 10 years ago at the Edinburgh Fringe
• The show is written by Duncan Macmillan with the support of Donahoe

More than 10 years ago, stand-up comedian Jonny Donahoe set the Edinburgh Festival Fringe stage alight when he performed a show about depression, which he had co-written with the playwright Duncan Macmillan. The premise sounds bleak, but the result was both joyful and revelatory.

Every Brilliant Thing follows the journey of a child into adulthood. When they were young, in response to their mother’s suicide attempt, they began to build a list of every wonderful thing in life, from ice cream (number one on the list) to waking up with someone you love. The list eventually hit one million items.

The show has been staged in more than 80 countries worldwide, by numerous performers — Donahoe, alone, has performed the part over 400 times. Fundamentally, it relies on an audience willing to participate in the story by reading lines from slips of paper or even (if you’re lucky) being beckoned on stage.

Speaking to LondonTheatre.co.uk, Donahoe says: “There is great tragedy in the story of Every Brilliant Thing, but our message is very simple: don’t ever give up.”

This uplifting play about dealing with mental health struggles is currently being performed in rep at the West End venue @sohoplace by a number of talented actors, including Lenny Henry, Donahoe, Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins, and Minnie Driver. We took a closer look at their performances to see how they differ.

Book Every Brilliant Thing tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Lenny Henry

Performing 29 September - 8 October

Lenny Henry started his career in comedy before moving into work on screen and, later, the stage, starring in shows such as The Comedy of Errors, Fences, and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. In his performance of Every Brilliant Thing, our critic said: “It’s a piece that requires a real willingness among its viewers to run, and Henry has the measure of this, making one shy participant feel more comfortable with a hug, and coaxing another to lean further into her role."

While our critic felt there could have been more emotional depth plumbed, as they had previously seen when watching Donohue play the part, they praised the actor's "twinkly-eyed, effortless authority", concluding: "What Henry pulls off is no small feat – as a collective, participatory experience, it’s really quite brilliant.”

Jonny Donahoe

Performing 9-11 October

Jonny Donahoe has been starring in Every Brilliant Thing for the past 11 years, which means his relationship to the text feels the most layered of all the performers at @sohoplace. He captures the innocence of childhood, wide-eyed and earnest, during his conversations with school counsellor Mrs Patterson, as well as the delicacy of a new relationship with his partner Sam and the frustration of being shut out by his mother.

Many of Donahoe’s personal feelings and experiences have helped to form the core foundation of this story, which continues to evolve with each new performer. Speaking about how he personally connects with the show, Donahoe says: “I think it would be impossible to live in our society and not be aware of the prevalence of depression. You will in your lifetime either suffer from it, or experience someone you truly love going through it. Maybe even both.”

Ambika Mod

Performing until 26 September

Ambika Mod’s profile has been on the rise in recent years, thanks to back-to-back screen roles in TV shows such as This is Going to Hurt and the Netflix series One Day. However, she actually started out as a sketch performer while studying English at Durham University, putting on shows as part of comedy duo Megan from HR.

As we saw in her one-night performance in Nassim Soleimanpour’s experimental White Rabbit Red Rabbit at @sohoplace last year, she clearly enjoys returning to her sketch roots, and is now back once again performing in this intimate West End venue. She is casual and familiar with the audience — and not afraid to tease them, telling one person, in response to a joke: “I feel you’ve got a better one in you.”

She also knows how to get an audience on its feet, creating a giant Mexican wave, and has an incredible memory for where every participating audience member is sat. She excels in the comedy moments, but doesn’t run from the tough stuff. Her delivery of one line about her mother’s suicide attempt — “If you want to go kill yourself, jump off a f–king cliff” — appears to rip through her, leaving the audience in stunned, shocked silence.

Sue Perkins

Performing until 27 September

Sue Perkins is best known to many for her successful comedy partnership with Mel Giedroyc, including their popular co-presenting stint on The Great British Bake Off, and for her appearances on panel shows like Just A Minute. She makes her West End debut in Every Brilliant Thing, and while performers like Mod or Donahoe may take to the material more easily, there is a lovely sincerity in Perkins’s performance. When she is given a coat by an audience member, she gently comments, “Oh, it’s still warm”.

There are also plenty of her quick ad-libs, including a funny musing about “pondering the inner life of poultry” in response to a joke. However, she reads the Samaritans guidelines on how to report suicide with gravitas, giving the serious moment the respect it deserves. She’s also very ‘British’ in her interactions, apologetically and politely asking one audience member to move so she can sit next to the person assuming the role of her love interest Sam.

Minnie Driver

Performing until 8 November

Minnie Driver rose to prominence with her break-out role in the 1995 film Circle of Friends, but to many she is best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in the Robin Williams and Matt Damon film Good Will Hunting and for giving her voice to Jane in Disney's Tarzan.

In Macmillan's Every Brilliant Thing, Driver masterfully strikes the balance between commanding the audience and gently interacting with them. She remains good natured throughout, even when one audience member failed to follow her instructions. More so than the other performers in this rotating cast, Driver takes her time over the more upsetting conversations around suicide, getting choked up and even swiping away a tear that falls down her cheek. She is clear to point out that her experience is impacted by growing up in the 70s, during a time without social media, and that the pressures on young people today are very different. Her approach to the narrator is warm and full of heart — you can't help but pay attention to every word.

Every Brilliant Thing runs through 8 November.

Book Every Brilliant Thing tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: the performers of Every Brilliant Thing. (Courtesy of production). Inset: Lenny Henry, Jonny Donahoe, Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins, and Minnie Driver in performance. (Photos by Danny Kaan)