Jessie Fisher stars in “Every Brilliant Thing” at Writers Theatre. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
Four Stars
Number one on the “List” is ….” says Broadway regular Jessie Fisher who hails from the Chicago area. An audience member calls out “Ice Cream.” Fisher has passed out slips of paper with numbers on them and a phrase. They are her “List” and the audience interacts with her on various levels of participation.
By the end of the show, a short, intense 70 minutes of skipping several numbers while she grows up from a young, smart but worried child to a mature adult, she has reached one million things that, even if they sound little, bring joy.
The List which includes “having a piano in the kitchen” is what she writes for her mother who is suicidal but it is also how she copes as she moves through teenage, college years and beyond.
There is hardly a dry eye in the audience. Depression is a deep, real emotion and response. But in this play, there also is joy.
Directed by Kimberly Senior, Fisher is brilliant and so is the play. Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe it likely touches many lives as it balances depression with hope.
The set, accommodated in Writers’ intimate Gillian Theatre, is a back yard with grass, tables and lawn chairs for the audience. The casual setting is perfect for encouraging the level of understanding needed for tackling suicide.
DETAILS: “Every Billiant Thing” is at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL extended now through Jan, 12, 2025. Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission. For tickets and more information visit Writers Theatre.
Jodie Jacobs
For more shows visit Theatre in Chicago