‘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.

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‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Casey Likes & Solea Pfeiffer. Photo: Matt Murphy.

ALMOST FAMOUS
Book & lyrics by Cameron Crowe
Music & lyrics by Tom Kitt
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45^th Street
(212-239-6200), https://almostfamousthemusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

This Broadway musical stage adaptation of Almost Famous, the 2000 Cameron Crowe film, follows the movie’s narrative almost word for word. Perhaps that’s because Cameron Crowe himself wrote the book and lyrics for this stage version. As ambitious an effort as this is, adding in Tom Kitt’s songs—most of them sung like power-pop cover anthems from “American Idol” and “The Voice”—takes away the raffish charm and authenticity of the film and slows the story down instead of propelling it forward.

William Miller (Casey Likes) is 15 and dealing with tension at home. He starts writing freelance rock articles for underground newspapers in San Diego. His 18-year-old sister Anita doesn’t get along with her mother and moves away to San Francisco to become a stewardess, leaving William her collection of rock albums.

The show opens with teenage William speaking to legendary rock critic Lester Bangs (Rob Colletti). Lester Bangs gives William an assignment to review a Black Sabbath concert but the band won’t let him in backstage, but he manages to get in by making flattering comments to the opening band, Stillwater. He meets Stillwater’s lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Chris Wood) and groupie Penny Lane (Solea Pfeiffer). Penny tells William she and her friends aren’t groupies but are instead “band aids,” female fans who are purportedly hanging out with the group because they really like the music.

William gets an unbelievably lucky break into rock journalism when Ben Fong-Torres (Matthew C. Yee), the editor of Rolling Stone magazine, calls up and hires the teen to write an article about Stillwater and follow them around on tour.  This doesn’t sit well with his mother Elaine (Anika Larsen), who wants him to stay home and graduate from high school before going on the college to study pre-law and one day become an attorney. William goes on the road with the band and is able to interview everyone in the group except Russell Hammond. The band starts derisively calling William “the enemy” as he tries to follow rock journalist Lester Bangs’ advice and not become too friendly with band members because he must remain objective if he wants to write an honest profile of Stillwater. This is no easy task as William becomes seduced by the glamour of the rock world, the band members, the groupies and proverbial sex, drugs and rock and roll. He finds it impossible to meet his deadline as he becomes just another fan and hanger-on instead of a professional journalist on assignment.

Comparisons to the 2000 Cameron Crowe film starring Patrick Fugit as William, Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond and Frances McDormand as concerned mom Elaine Miller are inevitable because this stage adaptation follows the film almost verbatim.  The film was supposedly semi-autobiographical, based on Mr. Crowe’s experiences, and the narrative on screen made much more sense because it focused on the turmoil of the characters, and used real 1970s rock music as the backdrop. The movie’s performances were also more in sync and solid. Unfortunately, this Broadway adaptation lacks the thread of authenticity that made the movie so powerful.  Yes, there are original new songs by Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt, but they add little to the story. When Solea Pfeiffer, as Penny Lane, belts out the ballad “Morocco,” there’s no doubt she’s a gifted vocalist with a pleasant voice and good range, but the song just doesn’t fit in the era in which the show is set. The only song that isn’t original is a cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” sung by everyone just as it was in the movie.

Supporting characters are the true standouts here. Anika Larsen is luminous and gives a heartbreaking performance as Elaine Miller, a mother who knows she’s lost control of both her children and feels helpless. A scene showing Elaine speaking on the phone with Russell Hammond is a show stopper. One really gets the sense of a protective mother, angry that a rock band has “kidnapped” her teenage son.

Rob Colletti is outstanding as Lester Bangs, the real-life “gonzo” rock journalist and critic who inspired a whole generation of music writers with his intellectual working-class hero persona and his almost academic yet hip dissections of 1970s rock artists. His take on Lester Bangs is as an avuncular figure and mentor to the teenage wannabe rock journalist.

Casey Likes as William and Solea Pfeiffer as Penny are serviceable but not as convincing for anyone who has seen the movie and the iconic, Oscar-nominated performance of a young Kate Hudson playing the messed-up groupie.

What’s supposed to be a retro look at the world of 1973 rock comes across as awkward, and Jeremy Herrin’s uneven direction doesn’t help matters. That’s a shame because there’s still a great story here of innocence lost, the decadence of the early 1970s rock scene, “gonzo” rock journalism, and many interesting characters. Almost Famous was a great movie about 1970s rock music and the people who made up that world, but it simply falls flat as a Broadway musical, with songs that make the story drag instead of enhancing it and setting things in motion.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 3, 2022
Reviewed at October 28, 2022 press preview performance.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Casey Likes & cast. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Casey Likes & Rob Colletti. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Anika Larsen. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Drew Gehling & Chris Wood. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Emily Schultheis, Anika Larsen, Casey Likes. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Matt Bittner, Drew Gehling, Chris Wood, Brandon Contreras. Photo: Matt Murphy.

‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: Solea Pfeiffer & Chris Wood. Photo: Matt Murphy.

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‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’: Lizzie Annis & Victor Alli. Photo: Johan Persson.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE
Written By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Through August 27, 2022
The Duke of York’s Theatre
St. Martin’s Lane

London, United Kingdom
(0333 009 6690), www.theglassmenageriewestend.com

By David NouNou

Set in St. Louis, Missouri, The Glass Menagerie is Tennessee Williams’ classic memory play and was one of the original “dysfunctional family dramas” before there was such a thing. Seeing the latest revival in London with Amy Adams is truly an event. The play focuses on Amanda (Ms. Adams), the delusional mother who clings to the memories of her youth and the beauty she once was. She keeps reminding her daughter, Laura (Lizzie Annis)— who had pleurisy when she was younger and is now left with a club foot—that, on a particular Sunday, 17 gentlemen callers came to call on her in one afternoon on her father’s plantation in Blue Mountain, Mississippi. Her constant haranguing of Laura is not meant out of spite but as an incentive that Laura’s complexes can be overcome by grace, and she should always be ready for her own gentlemen callers.  Amanda’s delusions of her past and the disappointments of the present are ways of coping and surviving with the cards life dealt her.

Amanda’s problems with her son, Tom (Tom Glynn-Carney), are of a different nature. Her husband (the handsome and reckless one of the 17 gentlemen callers) abandoned her and the family 15 years earlier one night while going to get a pack of cigarettes. As a result, she is very clingy and demanding of Tom. She’s at the point of suffocating him, wanting to know his every move; where he’s going and what’s he doing. She is in mortal fear he might abandon her and Laura just like his father did.

Those familiar with The Glass Menagerie know that there are only four characters in the play: Amanda, Tom, Laura and Jim O’Connor “the gentleman caller” as well as the ever-looming picture of the patriarch of the family who abandoned them 15 years earlier. British/European directors love to tinker with American classics. Tom is both narrator and a character in the play. Tom the Narrator (Paul Hilton) is the poet of the piece. He is Mr. Williams’ voice. For some unfathomable reason, director Jeremy Herrin has decided to split the part of Tom in two: the narrator being much older, recalling the goings on in a haze of smoke and liquor, and the younger Tom, who is in the action of the play.

The third and most poignant act of the play is “The Gentleman Caller.” Amanda has implored Tom to bring a friend from work to get to meet Laura. She has fussed and spent all their money to make a special evening out of this meeting. Tom brings fellow worker from the shoe factory Jim O’Connor (Victor Alli). Jim is easygoing and affable but Laura is terrified to come out and meet him because Jim is the guy she had a crush on in high school. A power outage occurs after dinner and Jim and Laura are left to talk and reminisce about high school. Jim tries to help Laura overcome her complexes and tries teaching her to dance. In the process, he steps on a glass unicorn, Laura’s favorite animal from her menagerie. Jim soon leaves awkwardly, saying he won’t be coming back because he is engaged to be married. As both Laura and Amanda are devastated, watch Amy Adams explode and unleash on Tom.

With the exception of the horrific 2017 Broadway version—with Sally Field and Joe Mantello, abominably directed by Sam Gold—The Glass Menagerie is always a treat to watch because of its impeccable writing. However, directors do find a way to foul things up due to their artistic vision,  and Jeremy Herrin is no exception. Theatre turns illusions into reality. When the curtain rises, that’s when the magic begins. In this case there is no curtain and there is no magic. As you walk into the theatre and take your seat, for some reason you see all five actors milling around the stage whispering to each other, getting themselves ready, walking across the stage, looking out beyond the audience, etc.

The set by Vicki Mortimer is a mystery. It is not of an apartment that has seen better days, but an apartment that should be condemned. The Wingfields are poor, but not destitute and on bread lines. However, smack dab in the middle of the set is this enormous lit glass showcase that has what seems to be Lalique crystal animals on it. First question that arises is if the Wingfields are that destitute, how can Laura afford this?  As written, Laura has a few small pieces of glass animals in a little showcase by her side that she likes to look at to cheer herself up; not a showcase at the Louvre.

Another inexplicable directorial choice is the dividing of Tom. Since this is a lyrical memory play, in every version Tom is first seen recalling the events that led him to leave his family, like his father did, and the difficulty of leaving his sister Laura to join the merchant marines. Now the play starts with Tom as a total bum, hustling men for cigarettes and liquor and just meandering around St. Louis in various stages of stupor, never seeing his family again.

The redemption to this piece is the glorious Amy Adams: a movie star of the first magnitude with six Oscar nominations, she is a beauty, and one of the best actresses of the 21^st Century. We first see her coming onstage with her flowing mane of hair and regular street clothes, transforming herself into the part of Amanda Wingfield. You know she can transform herself as matronly as evidenced by the 2020 movie Hillbilly Elegy. You might ask yourself isn’t she a bit young and too beautiful to play the part of Amanda? Yes, but she is also a daring actress, and likes to push the envelope and test her capabilities.

It is truly delightful watching Amy Adams do the scene of renewing magazine subscriptions to her customers to make some extra money. She pleads, teases, cajoles, and calls them “Christian martyrs,” anything to renew their subscriptions. There is also the scene where she comes out in this ridiculous frilly dress from 30 years ago to impress the gentleman caller, and then tries to stuff Laura’s flat chest with “gay deceivers”. Finally, she pulls all the stops out in her final scene when she discovers Jim is to be engaged, and she spent all their money on this useless evening; the venom, anger and disappointment she unleashes on Tom is phenomenal.

Despite misguided choices made by the creative team, The Glass Menagerie remains a riveting poignant lyrical drama, the likes of which you don’t see much anymore. It is still a must-see for anyone visiting London— just to see Amy Adams on stage.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published July 14, 2022
Reviewed in London on June 15, 2022.

‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’: Now playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. Photo: StageZine.

‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’: Lizzie Annis & Tom Glynn-Carnie. Photo: Johan Persson.

‘THE GLASS MENAGERIE’: Amy Adams. Photo: Johan Persson.

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ANNE BOLEYN, KING HENRY VIII’S SECOND WIFE, AT HER CORONATION: Lydia Leonard. Photo: Johan Persson

WOLF HALL PARTS ONE & TWO
Written by Hilary Mantel
Adapted by Mike Poulton
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Winter Garden Theatre
1634 Broadway
(212-239-6200), www.WolfHallBroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Everything about this two-part epic, which has landed on our shores after an Olivier Award-winning London run, has all the elements of a proverbial blockbuster. It is an adaptation of two bestselling books by Hilary Mantel, and offers a new spin on the familiar tale of the tumultuous court of Henry VIII and his wives, this time through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell (Ben Miles), his lawyer/adviser. The two shows, Wolf Hall (Part One) and Bring Up the Bodies (Part Two), which can be either seen separately or on the same day (Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays only), run a total of almost six hours, but both segments are compelling and never boring. Although the two shows are historically accurate and director Jeremy Herrin keeps the action moving fluidly, we leave the theater expecting more from two shows from the Royal Shakespeare Company that take up an entire afternoon and evening if one sees both the same day.

The story has been told before in Anne of the Thousand Days, Showtime’s “The Tudors” and A Man for All Seasons, although the latter focused on Sir Thomas More, the 16^th century chancellor that wouldn’t let King Henry VIII have his 24-year marriage to his first wife, Katherine of Aragon (here played by Lucy Briers), annulled. Here we have a 20-plus member cast on a barren stage, with no real set other than some industrial-looking metal suspended from the ceiling, and everyone in 16^th century costumes by Christopher Oram (who just won an Olivier for them), all speaking easy-to-understand dialogue by Mike Poulton (who adapted Ms. Mantel’s two books).

As in the two previous Broadway dramas about the court of King Henry VIII, the focus is not on the king but his advisers. This time around, the drama centers not on Catholic hero Sir Thomas More but Ben Miles’ Thomas Cromwell as a Protestant zealot determined to carry out the king’s wish to annul his long-term marriage to Katherine of Aragon (who hasn’t produced a male heir) in order to marry Anne Boleyn (Lydia Leonard).

If you’ve ever seen a stage production of A Man for All Seasons or the film adaptation, as well as the Hollywood film Anne of the Thousand Days with Richard Burton (adapted from the 1948 play), you know how rich both works are with florid language. However, there is nothing particularly extraordinary about the narrative or simplistic dialogue of this Wolf Hall stage adaptation (which, by the way, is different from the PBS airing of the BBC miniseries of the same name, starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell).

Unfortunately, as ambitious as Wolf Hall is because it is such an epic, and despite its accessibility, it is ultimately mediocre. The acting is consistently good, but none of the performances are worth showering with superlatives.

Mr. Miles, as Thomas Cromwell, gives a solid performance throughout both segments, and does his best with the material. Also noteworthy is Paul Jesson (recently seen in Mr. Turner) as Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Nathaniel Parker gives a fine portrayal of King Henry VIII, although it is simply a supporting role here (for which he just won the Olivier Award).

The rest of the male cast is competent but all seem too homogenous because it is difficult to tell who’s who after a while. Lydia Leonard, as Anne Boleyn, is imperious in all the right places, and Lucy Briers as Henry’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon, is powerful but her performance seems awkward at times as she speaks in a shoddy Spanish accent.

In fact, cast members playing characters of French and Spanish extraction often fade in and out of the continental European accents they are trying to emulate, sounding stereotypical and exaggerated. One would expect more professionalism from the Royal Shakespeare Company than cartoonish-sounding European characters in King Henry VIII’s time.

Overall, you don’t need to be a scholar of 16^th century English history to enjoy Wolf Hall. There’s enough bloody intrigue, drama and tension in the House of Tudor to keep audiences riveted throughout the entire saga. However, some fans of the travails of the British monarchy from past to present may feel they have learned nothing new about the Tudors after sitting through this entertaining but curiously unsatisfying marathon.

THOMAS CROMWELL: Ben Miles. Photo: Johan Persson

KING HENRY VIII: Nathaniel Parker. Photo: Johann Persson

KATHERINE OF ARAGON, KING HENRY’S FIRST WIFE: Lucy Briers. Photo: Johan Persson

JANE SEYMOUR, KING HENRY’S THIRD WIFE: Leah Brotherhead. Photo: Johan Persson

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 13, 2015
Reviewed at Press Performance on April 11, 2015

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