Editor’s note: If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“Every Brilliant Thing,” a new-to-Broadway show starring Daniel Radcliffe, is about a list: a list of reasons to keep on living (from simple things like “ice cream” or “things with stripes” to heartfelt entries like “waking up with someone you love”).
But ‘Every Brilliant Thing,” by playwrights Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, is also about much more: It’s about a young boy’s intense desire to “fix” his mother’s depression and mend her after her attempts to take her own life.
It’s about searching for answers and finding solace through friends and mentors. It’s about failing and trying again. All seen through the prism of the growing list that starts when Radcliffe’s character is seven years old, and grows, in the decades that follow, to a stunning one million entries.
The show is sometimes poignant, often hilarious and brimming with a near-manic energy. It also incorporates audience participation, plenty of improv, and an unusually insightful and authentic portrayal of mental illness.
Radliffe received a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of the protagonist. He joins host Robin Young to talk about the show.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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