CATCOs Every Brilliant Thing: Effort to lift up depressed mom makes for an engaging one-act - The Columbus Dispatch

To lift his mother’s spirits, a man creates a list of the world’s great things in “Every Brilliant Thing.”

CATCO’s production of Duncan Macmillan’s play continues through Feb. 10 in the Riffe Center’s Studio Two Theatre.

“It’s a play of hope and celebration about the joy of living,” said Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson, director of the production. “Even though the play touches upon mental illness, it has an incredible life force that’s very moving.”

The 70-minute solo piece revolves around a son’s struggle with his mother’s depression while coping with his own manic depression from age 7 through adulthood.

“He writes this list, of everything that could make a person happy, to save his mother but ultimately ends up saving himself,” Anderson said.

Critic Ben Brantley, in his 2014 review for The New York Times, praised the “captivating” and “very funny” piece for its ability to deliver “sentimentality without shame.”

Adapted from Macmillan’s story “Sleeve Notes” with British comedian-writer Jonny Donahoe, the piece premiered at a British fringe festival in 2013, reached off-Broadway in 2014 and aired on HBO in 2016.

“For those who've seen the HBO special, this will be an interesting bookend. But this play is better when it’s live ... and a great example of how live theater is different,” Anderson said.

“It’s really an ensemble piece, with the audience like an orchestra and one man who leads them like a conductor.”

Near the start, some theatergoers receive numbered pieces of paper, each with words from the list. When their number is called, they shout out the “brilliant thing” written on their paper.

“The list reflects what this young person is finding out about what makes life worth living ... things that are inherently funny about being alive,” Anderson said.

New York actor Timothy Elliott, 39, plays the son, who narrates the one-act.

“The evening illuminates his personal struggles, how his mother’s battles with depression and attempts at suicide have affected his life, and how he’s responded to that with boundless optimism,” Elliott said.

“Understandably, some fear that it’s a grim piece. It runs the gamut emotionally, but there’s a lot more joy than pain or sorrow. ... The reality is that it’s very sweet and uplifting.”

The play covers almost three decades from the narrator’s childhood, when he started creating the list, through his adulthood and marriage.

“It feels incredibly authentic,” Elliott said.

“The theme is being aware of yourself and how that can bring about rewards. ... Shedding more light on a difficult issue perhaps can help alleviate the shame or stigma of those who are suffering.”

This is Elliott’s third CATCO solo show, following a 2016 production of “An Act of God” and as the understudy performing for one weekend in 2015 in “Buyer & Cellar.”

“It’s really challenging to hold an audience’s attention for that long,” he said. “With no one to throw the ball to or to throw it back to you, it’s a daunting task for any actor.”

Yet, because of the interactivity, Elliott views “Every Brilliant Thing” more as a conversation with the audience.

“It’s done in such a charming way that it really becomes more about how they are interacting,” he said.

“I’m pretty good at choosing folks that don’t mind speaking or being spoken to. My instinct is to be very careful about reading the room.”

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