Duncan MacMillan’s latest play (co-written with Jonny Donahoe) is a comedy about suicidal depression. It looks like a one-man show until it is clear that several audience members in the theatre have been primed with cue cards to engage as characters associated with the unnamed central figure, in this case Lenny Henry. Sue Perkins and Minnie Driver are among those who will take over the role later in the run.
The set-up is simple: in an attempt to divert his ‘Mum’ from her suicidal tendencies, Lenny compiles a list of things that make life worth living. Delivering the narrative in customarily robust fashion, he shouts out numbers like a bingo caller and individuals respond with the ‘Brilliant Thing’ written on the card they hold.
It is difficult to determine where the script ends and the ad-libs begin, especially as Henry is so adroit in his reactions, pulling up a man out of the audience as his father, hijacking snacks from a theatre critic and, most affecting of all, borrowing a coat to act as his dog who is put to sleep in his arms.
“It’s difficult to prioritize your own mental health,” he says in conversation with Graham the sock puppet performed gamely by a woman in the front row. Some points hit home and some don’t, but Henry’s effervescent charisma and boundless energy keep it buoyant.
EVERY BRILLIANT THINGS PLAY AT @SOHOPLACE UNTIL NOVEMBER 21 (check website for dates for each individial star)