Review: EVERY BRILLIANT THING at Geffen Playhouse

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is a deeply affecting meditation on grief and mental illness told with humor and a clear-eyed optimism that makes the message that much more powerful.

Daniel K. Isaac plays an unnamed character who weaves an enchanting tapestry of memory, starting back when he was seven: November 9, 1995, to be exact. His mother

had been hospitalized after her first suicide attempt and, in an effort to cheer her up—and make sense of his world that had suddenly capsized—he started a list of everything brilliant in the world worth living for: ice cream; kung fu movies; being allowed to stay up past his bedtime and watch TV. Things that give us immense pleasure but in ways we may not even be able to process. The list grew, and grew, as he wrote entries on Post-its and cereal boxes and even stenciled one on a baguette, and it eventually garnered input from others who cottoned to the idea, until he reached one million brilliant things, spanning decades, his mother’s mental illness, and his own emotional issues.

What really grounds the story is how Isaac approaches audience members before the show, asking them to read from slips of paper at various points, the slips of paper containing examples from his list. Others are called on to play his father and an

 elementary school teacher, and the experience hinges on their participation and how well they perform, adding a level of humanity that most shows only hint at. At my performance, the man and woman chosen to play his father and his teacher were exemplary, inhabiting their roles so well you would be forgiven if you thought they were professional actors planted in the audience.

Shot for HBO in 2016 by directors Fenton Baily and Randy Barbato, the story, based on “true and untrue stories,” by playwrights Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe is an uproarious and affecting story of resilience and hope that embraces sentimentality but is never cloying. The script is a superb almost-monologue, but unlike most soliloquies, Isaac hasn’t just inhabited a rehearsed character’s thoughts and memories, he has to play off what the audience members bring to their roles, some of whom are ad-libbing

and not just reading from the cue cards he’s given them. Luckily, Isaac is an adept and engaging performer as directed by Colm Summers, who governs with a touch that is light but not frivolous. Isaac gives a captivating performance that he makes appear effortless.

The set design by Sibyl Wickersheimer is comprised of a colorful, paint-spattered floor and vibrant crocheted blankets that hang overhead in a sun pattern, adding to the brightness of the experience. Because for as dark as some of the material is, in the end, it is a celebration of all that is good and worthwhile in the world. You might just want to start your own list of the joys you’ve experienced in your life. They’re out there waiting to be recognized, acknowledged, and valued. Every one brilliant.

Photos by Isaak Berliner

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