Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's Every Brilliant Thing has set a West End premiere at London's @sohoplace theatre, where performances will run August 1-September 27.
The solo play debuted at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it played three sold-out consecutive summers before coming to Off-Broadway's Barrow Street Theatre in 2014. The latter run was filmed live and aired on HBO with Donahoe starring. The work returned to Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, where it was a 半岛体育 Pick.
The upcoming West End bow will feature a rotating cast of four throughout the run. Lenny Henry will perform August 1-30, with an official opening August 7. Co-writer and original star Donahoe will perform August 13-September 1, officially opening August 21. Ambika Mod will perform September 2-26, officially opening September 10. Former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins will perform September 4-27, officially opening September 11. Casting is by Jessica Ronane.
In the work, a nameless protagonist faces a distant father, a suicidal mother, and their own inexplicable deep sadness. And in a spark of childhood genius, they counteract these obstacles by chronicling every brilliant thing in the world鈥攆irst to cheer up their depressed mother, and later for friends, lovers, and themself. Those things include items ranging from simple pleasures ("ice cream,鈥� 鈥渢he color yellow鈥�) to the far more specific and detailed ("old people who are kind and don鈥檛 smell unusual,鈥� 鈥渢he even numbered Star Trek films").
Jeremy Herrin and Macmillan will direct, with design by Vicki Mortimer, lighting design by Jack Knowles, and sound design by Tom Gibbons.
鈥淚t's actually, properly brilliant to be finally bringing Every Brilliant Thing to the West End @sohoplace with Duncan, Jeremy and everyone at Second Half Productions," says Donahoe in a statement. "It's been 12 years since Duncan and I did two little scratch shows at a Shropshire poetry festival and a rural community center; a decade since we ran Off-Broadway for four-and-a-half months; and a year since we started putting it back together at last year's Edinburgh Fringe. I am over the moon to be back performing this show that Duncan and I are so proud of, and to be joined by such an array of talent in Lenny, Sue, and Ambika: it's a dream come true."
鈥淚 first encountered Every Brilliant Thing 11 years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since," adds Herrin. I am therefore thrilled that Second Half Productions together with Nica Burns and Paines Plough are bringing Duncan and Jonny鈥檚 extraordinary show to the West End for the first time, and to such a beautiful theatre at Soho Place. It鈥檚 an enormous privilege to be collaborating with the ever brilliant Duncan again to direct these exceptional performers鈥擫enny, Jonny, Ambika, and Sue鈥攚ho will each bring their own unique take on this moving, witty and joyful show. This is a modestly profound, genuinely uplifting piece of theatre magic that we need now, more than ever."
Second Half Productions is producing along with Gavin Kalin Productions, Rodeo/Tilted, and Winkler & Smalberg, and in association with Nica Burns and Paines Plough.
A full performance schedule is at .
