Every Brilliant Thing review

Daniel Radcliffe in Every Brilliant Thing (Matthew Murphy)

You can't claim to have a comprehensive list of brilliant things unless Daniel Radcliffe's name is among them. The former child actor who shot to fame as Harry Potter has become a welcome stage presence on Broadway. After winning a well-deserved Tony Award as part of the terrific cast of Merrily We Roll Along two years ago, he's now going solo in Every Brilliant Thing, Duncan MacMillan's play about depression, suicide and the battle to overcome them. 

Radcliffe may be the only actor in the play, but he's not working alone. The audience at the Hudson Theatre is very much a part of this 70-minute venture. His nameless character calls on various individuals — usually those seated on the stage — to help him play a select group of people significant to his life, from his father to a teacher who helped him when he was a child.

The effect is a playful lightening of the subject without minimizing the internal struggles faced by those afflicted. Our narrator relates how he began making a list of all the "brilliant" things in the world after his mother attempted suicide when he was a boy. They range from simple joys like ice cream to the pleasure of "Waking up late with someone you LOVE!"

The list grew to contain many thousands of entries as he matured, went to college, fell in love — and began to experience his own depressive episodes. Spoiler alert: Although the words on his list helped him with his internal battle, he also needed people. 

And that message resonates as Radcliffe runs through the auditorium high-fiving theatergoers. He even mingles among the crowd before the show, setting up audience members to deliver list entries when he calls out a number during the show.

And what a joy it is to watch Radcliffe engage with people who are only too happy to be in the same room as Harry Potter. He takes material that in lesser hands could come off as precious or cloying and give it resonance, depth and joy. That is brilliance.