Every  Brilliant  Thing  Is  Unique,
Funny, Entertaining, and Brilliant!

Stone Soup Theatre Company's current offering, Every Brilliant Thing, written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe, and directed by Lavour Addison, is a show that I would be tempted to describe as Unique! Funny! Entertaining! and Brilliant! At the same time, I would call it sentimental and touching. A favorite term of mine -- thought-provoking -- is inadequate because, in addition to some very vital thoughts, it also provokes quite a few sentiments and feelings.

It's no spoiler to tell you that this is a show that focuses on dealing with attempted suicide and other mental health issues. But this one-woman show does so in a very heartwarming manner.

First-of-all, as audience members enter the theater, Brittni Shambaugh Addison (the "one woman" in question) approaches them and asks them to consider becoming an interactive part of the show. I was handed two slips of paper. One read "7. People falling down." The other: "517. Knowing someone well enough to get them to check your teeth for broccoli." I was told that I would be asked to call out these phrases when she asked for the specific number.

Later, during the performance, she asked me to step into the acting area and walk through the part of a veterinarian who has been summoned to euthanize a young girl's dog. Other audience members stood in for the girl's father, for a school counselor, and for her new-found boyfriend.

Secondly, she makes you feel as though you are a new-found bestfriend to whom she is baring her soul as she shares the secrets and pains of her past. She begins by telling us about her experience, at age seven, of learning that her mother had attempted suicide and is in the hospital.

Continuing, she temporarily "becomes" the seven-year-old and earns our empathy as she describes her plan for helping her mother understand that there are plenty of reasons to go on living, thus beginning her list of every "brilliant" thing that adds joy to life, making life worth living.

The list begins: 1. Ice cream. 2. Water fights. 3. Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV. 4. The color yellow. 5. Things with stripes. 6. Roller coasters. (And a different audience member calls out each item as she supplies the numbers.) We are told that she has a list of 314 "brilliant" things by the time her mother returns home.

This list will continue to grow as the show's 90-plus minutes pass, and the nature of the "brilliant things" will change.

Will the mother's life be improved by the list? Will there ever be another suicide attempt?

Will making and maintaining the list be therapeutic for the girl herself?

How many items will finally be on this list?

Will the list stay private? Or become public?

How will the list affect her relationships in life?

The Acting:

I can't overemphasize that, in this role, Brittni Shambaugh Addison is simply phenomenal! She transitions back-and-forth between the character's "adult self" in "the present" and her "younger self" at various stages of life. We see distinct differences between flashbacks involving "the seven-year-old," "the high-school student," "the college student," "the newlywed," and so forth. And then she steps right back into her "narrator self" and picks it back up.

Significantly, there are no surprises -- every turn in the character's situation has been preceded by adequate foreshadowing.

I, for one, was in the palm of Addison's hand start-to-finish. (Or, perhaps, I was wrapped around her little finger!)

The Tech:

No scenic designer is credited, but I suspect that director Lavour Addison and producer Melissa Craib Dombrowski shared in the sound decision to stage this show in-the-round (and "in-your-lap") with a somewhat minimalist bent.

Lighting designer Caden Yao makes good use of the venue's instruments, highlighting and nuancing key elements and moments.

Sound designer Jos Purvis' sound effects and music choices all fit well. The script makes several concrete references to the father's musical preferences, and Purvis fits the bill every time.

Properties, designed by Sarabeth Hess and managed by Nicky Carrington, reflect good choices.

Costume designer Linda Hess has clothed Addison in a character-specific manner.

Lisa Hess serves as stage manager.

Every Brilliant Thing, directed by Lavour Addison, stars Brittni Shambaugh Addison

Nice Touches:

• The preshow interaction with the audience.
• The use of audience "volunteers."
• The Post-it® Notes on the walls.
• The dog's name: Sherlock Bones
• References to the piano in the kitchen and singing around the piano
• Miming to create a car onstage.
• Ending the show by playing an actual vinyl album on the record player.

Memorable Lines:

• "To be able to live in the present, we have to be able to imagine a future that will be better than the past."
• "There is one hard and fast rule while euthanizing a child's pet and that is you really mustn't laugh as you do it."
• "A ham and mayo sandwich. But without the ham."
• "I'm pretty sure I'm a genius."
• "It's common for the children of suicides to blame themselves."
• "Not her."
• "She never mentioned it to me, but I knew she'd read it because she'd corrected my spelling."
• "Same trapdoor feeling."
• "Younger me dealt with this so much better."
• "We can kiss later."
• "Fight or flight or stand as still as you can."

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

This was preview night, so I imagine this has been addressed by now: At times, music plays while Brilliant Things cards are read by audience members (some of whom do not have "actors' voices" and are seated toward the back of the house). The music, on preview night, actually did drown out more than a few of these readings. My suggestion: pipe the music through back stage speakers (rather than through back-of-the-house speakers).

The Bottom Line:

Every Brilliant Thing is a one-of-a-kind show, and All the Cool People heartily recommend it as an experience that borders on being precious. You'll be glad that you got to know this character; you'll feel enlightened by the various perspectives that are offered and shared; and you will most likely feel uplifted by your grasp of quite a few new thoughts and feelings about the human condition.

I find myself remembering the words of a Victorian Age novelist who referred to the role of a novel's narrator as engaging the reader in a sort of confidential chat. Every Brilliant Thing, playing Dec. 6-14 at the Mettlesome Theater in Durham, makes me feel as though I have just been part of such a chat.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING (In Person at 5 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, 7, 13, and 14, plus 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10th), written by Duncan Macmillan, with creative consultant Jonny Donahoe, directed by Lavour Addison, and performed by Brittni Shambaugh Addison (Stone Soup Theatre Company in the Mettlesome Theater in Durham). PRESENTER: https://www.stonesouptheatreco.com/, https://www.facebook.com/StoneSoupTheatreCo/, https://www.instagram.com/stonesouptheatreco/, and https://www.tiktok.com/@stonesouptheatre. 2025-26 SEASON: https://www.stonesouptheatreco.com/current-season/. VENUE: https://thisismettlesome.com/, https://linktr.ee/hellomettlesome, https://www.facebook.com/thisismettlesome, and https://www.instagram.com/thisismettlesome. DIRECTIONS: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ToMAJDS26MJiRdCk9. EVERY BRILLIANT THING (2014 Off-Broadway and 2026 Broadway solo show and interactive monologue): https://everybrilliantthing.com/, https://www.iobdb.com/Production/5918, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/every-brilliant-thing-544430, https://www.facebook.com/brilliantbway, https://www.instagram.com/brilliantbway, https://www.tiktok.com/@brilliantbway, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Macmillan_(playwright)#Every_Brilliant_Thing, and https://x.com/brilliantbway. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. STUDY GUIDE (Orlando Shakes): https://www.orlandoshakes.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Every-Brilliant-Thing-Study-Guide.pdf. DUNCAN MACMILLAN (English playwright, screenwriter, and theater director): https://www.casarotto.co.uk/clients/duncan-macmillan, https://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/45376, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-organization/duncan-macmillan-with-jonny-donahoe-544435, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7816594/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Macmillan_(playwright). JONNY DONAHUE (Royal Tunbridge Wells, England-born comedian, playwright, and actor): https://www.jonnyandthebaptists.co.uk/, https://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/45377, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-organization/duncan-macmillan-with-jonny-donahoe-544435, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9315934/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Donahoe. CONTENT ADVISORY: Stone Soup Theatre Company cautions, "While this show is ultimately uplifting, it deals with the subjects of mental illness and attempted suicide, and relays a story of having to put down a family pet." TICKETS: $32.30 ($27.05 students), plus taxes, except a Pay-What-You-Can performance at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10th. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: info@stonesouptheatreco.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Stone Soup Theatre Company.

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