"Everything Brilliant Thing” is a sweet play about sad times. When a mother attempts suicide, her 6-year-old son responds by starting a list of all the little things that make life worth living. (“1. Ice cream.”) As the years pass, the list grows and the boy learns to navigate adolescence and adulthood, love and loss.
Written by Duncan Macmillan, the deceptively modest one-person show made a big splash at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has since gone global, resonating with audiences worldwide. In a local production from the NOLA Project, ensemble member Alex Martinez Wallace slips effortlessly into the main role with a gentle presence that engages audiences and invites interaction with this deeply personal piece of theater.
The lights stay up at the Big Couch, a small Bywater venue that regularly hosts comedy, theater and film. The room is set to accommodate an intimate crowd, maybe 40 seats with a runway down the middle where Wallace walks and talks beneath a string of warm bulbs, often addressing audience members directly as he recalls childhood memories and mysteries, the people who meant the most to him, and the lessons learned from looking back.
Directed by Natalie Boyd, the show is light on its feet as Wallace keeps it conversational, cracks jokes and plays around with a few improvised bits. But beneath the surface, “Every Brilliant Thing” is meticulously crafted for maximum effect, and what starts as something like an offbeat TED Talk soon has the audience hanging on every word.
The play deals with some touchy subjects — suicide, depression, trauma — but Wallace manages the material with grace, humor and a soundtrack rich with jazz and soul. These kinds of topics can sometimes be exploited by artists as shortcuts to evoke emotional reactions from audiences, but “Every Brilliant Thing” feels authentic in its exploration of grief and grieving.
The story ultimately drifts toward redemption, and the list expands with maturity (“1875. Planning a declaration of love”) but never loses sight of those simple everyday moments (“995. Bubble wrap”).
By the end of the poignant 70-minute show, the opening night crowd had a noticeable number of sniffling noses and dewy eyes. Anyone keeping their own list of “Every Brilliant Thing” likely added a new entry upon returning home: humble little dramas that leave a big impression.
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"Every Brilliant Thing"
WHEN: through April 6
WHERE: Big Couch, 1045 Desire St.
TICKETS: $38 ($55 reserved, $20 under 21)
INFO: nolaproject.com