Every Brilliant Thing is a rich, five-star show about depression

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★★★★★Every Brilliant Thing, the mega Fringe hit by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe from ten years ago, is back — even more extraordinary, shattering and beautiful than before.
The same actor, a magnificent Donahoe, again plays the unnamed boy whose story begins with his mum’s suicide attempt when he was seven “because she was sad”. Determined for her to realise that life is worth living, he starts to make a list of every brilliant thing in the world.
There are rollercoasters, balloons, staying up past your bedtime and having desserts as a main course. Donahoe hands out pieces of scrap paper with entries from the list, asking viewers to read from them when the right time comes. He casts unwitting ticket holders as key roles, including his school therapist, the great love of his life, Sam, and his dad. With our help, his child’s-eye view of the world creeps hilariously and vividly into the theatre.
The prospect of audience interaction can send people into panic. But here it feels as though we are part of one communal effort. Where the script stops and people’s personal offerings start becomes progressively hazy. Voices shout out joyously from all around the theatre’s edge.
It’s an encyclopaedic drawing of depression in many forms: of it affecting someone you love dearly and the guilt of not being able to make things right. The list begins as a crutch and a cry for help. As the years pass by, it grows longer and more absurd. But when mental illness starts to cloud the boy’s life, he can’t bring himself to keep writing — after so much elation, the pause hits us like a blow to the head.
The script is rich with theatrical innovation, even ten years on. And seeing it now adds a sense of reflection. Suicide is still reported carelessly. Too much focus is still placed on the “why” and “how”. There is no quick fix for depression, but among all the darkness Macmillan and Donahoe’s script bathes in the everyday joys. Built with the collaboration of audience and performer, it is a truly brilliant thing. I wrote this with tears in my eyes.To August 24, summerhall.co.uk
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