EDINBURGH 2016- Review: EVERY BRILLANT THING, Summerhall, 13 August

Every Brilliant Thing is a play about a seven-year-old boy whose mum, as his dad puts it, "did something stupid". His dad tells him that his mum is very sad all the time. So the boy sets out to make a list of every brilliant thing in the world. Things like ice cream, people falling over, certain lines from certain songs and the colour yellow. The list is incredibly sweet from a little boy, and as he grows older and his mum attempts suicide again, the list expands.

Set in the Roundabout theatre in Summerhall, the narrator makes excellent use of the space and gets many of the audience involved in the play. Before the start of the show he gives people cards featuring items on the list and they are required to shout them out on demand. Some are more involved, like the man selected to play the vet in this one-man show and euthanise an imaginary dog.

Duncan MacMillan's story is both heart-wrenching and hilarious. The naivety with which the child makes the list is incredibly touching - not really understanding what has happened with his mum, just that she is sad and he wants to make it better.

Played beautifully by Jonny Donahue, this is a captivating piece. From the very sweet scenes of the narrator as a child, to the slightly more complex issues 10 years on where it becomes apparent how living with a loved one's depression has impacted on him, the writing is, well, brilliant.

Every Brilliant Thing runs at Summerhall until 28 August.

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