‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING
Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe
Directed by Jeremy Herrin & Duncan Macmillan
Through August 9, 2026
Hudson Theatre
141 West 44th Street
https://everybrilliantthing.com/

Editor’s Note: Mariska Hargitay assumed the lead role on May 26, 2026. Tracee Ellis Ross begins performances July 7, 2026.

By Scott Harrah

Daniel Radcliffe is a true master of the stage, and his many gifts are in fine form in the Broadway solo show Every Brilliant Thing.

In Every Brilliant Thing, Daniel Radcliffe carries a 70-minute one-man show about depression and suicide with a level of ease and connection few actors could sustain. His approach to such dark subject matter feels deeply personal and powerful, and he keeps audiences engaged with each word he utters. That ability has developed over time. This reviewer first described his work in Equus back in 2008 as “consistently riveting,” a performance that marked a clear departure from his Harry Potter films.

Since then, he has steadily expanded his range across Broadway and the West End. His credits include Martin McDonagh’s quirky The Cripple of Inishmaan in 2014 and the 2023 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along (he won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Charlie Kringas). One of his strongest dramatic roles came in The Lifespan of a Fact in 2018, where his sharp delivery and commanding presence stood out. Here, he distills those qualities into something more intimate and direct.

From Edinburgh to Broadway

First developed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013, Every Brilliant Thing moved to Off-Broadway in 2014. It later played a West End engagement in 2024, steadily building an international following.

The story

A narrator reflects on a life shaped by his mother’s depression and begins a list of “every brilliant thing” to capture the small joys that make life worth living. He writes many of these “brilliant things,” from ice cream and roller coasters to water fights and the color yellow, on Post-It notes. He creates this list to show his mother reasons to continue living and to find peace in life’s simplest pleasures.

As the list grows, it becomes a deeply personal thread that connects love, loss, and the ongoing search for meaning. The show also incorporates audience participation, with theatergoers seated on stage as well as in the orchestra and mezzanine.

As the narrator matures, the story expands to include school, first love, marriage, and career choices. At the same time, it revisits the lasting impact of his mother’s illness. The list continues to evolve and reflects changing perspectives on happiness, connection, and survival.

Audience interaction

Audience participation plays a central role in the show. Select theatergoers deliver lines and inhabit certain roles. At first, it may seem spontaneous, and this reviewer initially thought some participants might be “plants.” However, Mr. Radcliffe appears on stage approximately 30 minutes before each performance and selects volunteers to assist in the storytelling. No one is forced to do anything. As a result, the technique creates intimacy without disrupting the narrative flow.

Before the show begins, ushers hand out slips of paper to the audience. At the performance this reviewer attended, one slip noted that a brilliant thing about life is “waking up with someone you love.” This is an odd choice, as not everyone has someone in their life. Widows, widowers, and those who are divorced or single often sleep alone. In a production with a strong message about mental health, asking audience members to read such a statement aloud may feel uncomfortable or even triggering for some.

Direction & audience connection

Co-directors Jeremy Herrin and Duncan Macmillan allow Mr. Radcliffe to connect directly with the audience. This is no easy task in a drama that relies heavily on dialogue and interaction.

Accessible & approachable

Every Brilliant Thing takes the sensitive, stigmatized topic of mental health and makes it accessible and approachable for a broad audience, and that’s one of the truly brilliant aspects of the show. Moreover, it is refreshing to encounter a production like this in a world currently torn apart by war and political division. One leaves the theater deeply moved, with a renewed faith in both humanity and the power of theater.

Published March 21, 2026
Reviewed at press performance on March 18, 2026.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photos: Matthew Murphy.

‘EVERY BRILLIANT THING’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photos Matthew Murphy.

The post ‘Every Brilliant Thing’: Daniel Radcliffe excels appeared first on StageZine.

‘1984’: Olivia Wilde, Tom Sturridge & the cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

1984
By George Orwell
A new adaptation created by Robert Icke & Duncan Macmillan
Directed by Robert Icke & Duncan Macmillan
Hudson Theatre
139-141 West 44th Street
855-801-5876. http://www.revisedtruth.com

By Scott Harrah

Those who have never read George Orwell’s 1984 are advised to do so before attending this hard-to-follow stage adaptation. The show recently transferred to Broadway after several runs in London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Even if you have read the book, there are plenty of disturbing scenes that pay homage to the classic novel about a dystopian future. Does it have parallels between Big Brother and the current administration in Washington? Perhaps, but even so, this is not an enjoyable or intellectually stimulating, intermission-free 101 minutes of theater.

In this age of “alternative facts” and claims of “fake news,” 1984 and its theme of reality being denied should seem like a chilling reminder of what’s happening in 2017, but the narrative as adapted by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan is simply so disjointed that it’s often puzzling to understand what’s happening, even if one is already familiar with the book’s plot.

Although the setting is 1984, we’re really watching things happen in, uh, 2050? (Don’t ask.) Winston (Tom Sturridge) is a bureaucrat rewriting history for the Ministry of Truth, in a world controlled by Big Brother and a network of telescreens that monitor people’s words and actions and the Thought Police try to eliminate “Thought crime.” After a nuclear holocaust, the world is divided into Eurasia, Eastasia and Oceania (which includes the United Kingdom and North America). The totalitarian government introduces a new language, “newspeak,” so no one even has the words to speak out against the state.

Winston commits the crime of falling in love with Julia (Olivia Wilde). A number of things happen as a result, but expect lots of shouting, creepy music, flashing lights, and some scenes with Winston and Olivia projected onto the stage like a film.

Ads for the Broadway version of 1984, PR for the show and even notices in the theater warn about graphic violence and “torture” scenes. Yes, there are some lurid sections, including a projected video close-up of a man being shot in the head and the consequential blood and gore, but by the time this happens, it all just seems so pointless. Other than an especially gripping performance by Tony Award winner Reed Birney as O’Brien, the overzealous Party leader, this 1984 adaptation, while ambitious, fails to “scare” and instead just disappoints us.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 16, 2017

‘1984’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘1984’: Reed Birney, Olivia Wilde & Tom Sturridge. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘1984’: Tom Sturridge & Reed Birney. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

The post ‘1984’ a disturbing, disjointed look at dystopia appeared first on StageZine.