Every Brilliant Thing Tickets

1. Going to the theatre

2. One-man plays

3. Plays that successfully mix pathos with moments of comedy

4. The unique way that audience participation brings together a group of strangers

That’s how Every Brilliant Thing begins—just a list. A child writes down the things that make life worth living to help their mother through depression. The list starts with ice cream and escalates to “how Ray Charles sings youuuuu” in the song Drown In My Own Tears. Years pass. The list grows. So does its meaning.

I saw Lenny Henry perform this solo piece, though the cast rotates—Ambika Mod, Minnie Driver, Sue Perkins and co-creator Jonny Donahoe will all take turns during its run @sohoplace, recently extended until November. Whoever takes the stage, the effect is the same: a safe, open space where big laughs and quiet emotion are given equal weight