milt thomas

The newest performance on Riverside’s Waxlax stage, Every Brilliant Thing, is the story of a seven-year-old boy whose mother is in the hospital. His dad tells him Mom is in the hospital because she is very unhappy and “she’s done something stupid.” The boy tries to understand what dad is saying without stating what is obvious to the audience. So, to help cheer her up, he starts to make a list of things worth living for, first in the mind of a seven-year-old. The list expands through his childhood (“ice cream,” “rollercoasters”), adolescence (“Laughing so hard milk comes out of your nose”), and into adulthood, leading to his first kiss, romance (“Waking up late with someone you love”), later to his marriage and the emotional realities of adult life. 

Characters come into the child’s life and each adds to the list. During the show we hear from his dad, a veterinarian, a favorite teacher, his first girlfriend, his wife, etc…

Now wait! This is supposed to be a one man show, isn’t it?

Well, yes, there is only one professional actor – along with ‘extras’ picked at random from the audience to play the other characters or respond to a number on the growing list.

So, let’s start our own list – of reasons you must see Every Brilliant Thing:

1. The setting is intimate.

Imagine a small auditorium, about 100 seats in three tiers facing the center, but no stage. When you take your seat, a man hands you a slip of paper with a number and a corresponding ‘brilliant thing.’ Then the man starts telling his story in a casual way, strolling about, mixing humor and pathos, punctuating it with by occasionally calling out numbers (“319!”) for an alert audience member to respond with the ‘Brilliant thing.’

2. Meet Jimmy Ray Bennett, Narrator.

He is ‘the man’ in every way. He can be funny, serious, sing (a little), has kind of a Conan O’Brien thing going for him, yet down to earth, compassionate like he is telling his story to a group of friends. Bennett has an interesting resume that includes TV drama, video game actor and stand-up comedian, co-winner in 2006 at the World Domination Improv Tournament in Atlanta, among other achievements.

3. The show deals with difficult subjects in a respectable way.

Depression, suicide, love, marriage, divorce, all related with gentle humor and child-like honesty. what it’s like to be a child of a suicidal mother and the lengths we go for those we love. Based on true and untrue stories, Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming story of how to achieve hope through focusing on the smallest miracles of life while dealing with depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

4. Even extras can be actors.

Every Brilliant Thing gives audience members a few of their ‘fifteen minutes of fame” during this production, whether shouting out a specific numbered ‘Brilliant Thing,’ or actually being handed a prop and having a speaking part. (I read number 319, milk comes out of your nose). When seven-year-old Bennett asks for a random audience member to give him a sweater or coat, it magically becomes his dying pet on his way to the vet for euthanasia. He then picks another person to be the vet, who compassionately puts his fake pet to sleep with an injection using someone’s borrowed ball point pen.  

 5. The production is more than the sum of its parts.

Ambient sounds, snippets of appropriate music, Bennett walking around the set while telling his story, involving audience members make this performance seem more like campfire storytelling than a play. You can’t help but be drawn in to very real personal feelings Bennett portrays.

6. ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”

Every Brilliant thing started as a 15-minute monologue in Edinburgh Scotland, that expanded into a play ten years ago that has been performed in 63 countries with more than 400 professional productions, not counting its popularity with amateur theater companies. It has also been produced as an HBO documentary,

Every Brilliant Thing explores themes of mental health, resilience, hope, and the importance of human connection, reminding us to appreciate the small joys in life and to be there for each other. It hits all your emotional buttons in the process. You must see it to experience this unique form of storytelling.

7. Your winning number…

…is Every Brilliant Thing. performances run through April 13 on the Waxlax Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets are $65. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at http://www.riversidetheatre.com.