Thirty minutes before the play even starts, Daniel Radcliffe is zipping through Broadway’s Hudson Theatre. With an assistant’s help, he’s choosing audience members who will interact with him during the charming and moving piece Every Briliant Thing. The solowork, written by Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe, explores his mother’s bi-polar disorder, how a young man copes with it, and a list he creates for her to prove just how much life is worth living.
Throughout the brisk 80 minutes, pre-selected participants shout out the things Radcliffe (known only as “Narrator”) wrote that truly bring joy: #1. Ice Cream. #26. Peeing in the sea and nobody knows. #315. The smell of old books. The goal is to reach 1,000 and as the Narrator reviews the list, he bares his soul over falling in love and dealing with his complicated mother.
Every Brilliant Thing has been performed since 2013 when it first premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It played Off Broadway in 2014 starring Donahoe and since then, it has been performed at theaters around the world. MacMillan stops short of calling the show he created “autobiographical” but admits that there is some fact mixed into the fiction.
Either way, Radcliffe, already a beloved star whose talents far exceed those from his youthful Harry Potter days, is magnetic, instantly likeable, and steeped in humanity. In his capable hands-along with directors MacMillan and Jeremy Herrin-he is able to take such a delicate topic and turn it into something that is truly beautiful and brilliant.
*Every Brilliant Thing has partnered with Project Healthy Minds, a nonprofit that provides access to mental health support. If you or someone you care about is in crisis, call 988. Someone is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week in both English and Spanish.
Every Brilliant Thing is currently on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre, 141 West 44th Street, NYC through May 24, 2026. For tickets and information, click here : everybrilliantthing.com.
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