Kittens, Chopin, a good book, dahlias, coffee, ice cream, concerts, movies, and time with friends ... these are a few of my favourite things.
I’ll wager that every audience member at a performance of Every Brilliant Thing, by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, has been similarly prompted to come up with their own list of the "brilliant things" that make life good.
The second offering from director Lara Macgregor’s Birds of a Feather theatre company, Every Brilliant Thing has been described as "the funniest play you’ll see about depression" (The Guardian).
And so it proved during last Thursday’s solo performance by Dunedin actor/comedian Gregory Cooper, as a child who grows up in a family where depression looms large.
On alternate nights, the role is performed by fellow Dunedin actor/comedian Harriet Moir.
As we arrive, audience members are given numbered cards with brilliant things written on them, which we are invited to read out when called upon during the show.
As the performance progresses, an engaging and sympathetic Cooper gently invites audience members to participate in the show in the most non-threatening way.
Mostly scripted, but with moments of improvisation, Every Brilliant Thing is a communal experience for the audience, as we come to feel that we are all in it together ... just like life.
Musical interludes added by sound designer/operator Tabitha Littlejohn add another pleasing element to the show.
All in all, Every Brilliant Thing is both thought-provoking and uplifting. Recommended.
• Performances of Every Brilliant Thing continue until September 21.
Advisory — dress warmly.
