From Broadway plays to a grand Berkeley musical tradition, here are fun shows to see this weekend and beyond.
City Lights Theater Company in San Jose kicks off its 40th season with “Every Brilliant Thing,” the hit feel-good show that’s about, um, sadness.
The show, created by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, is about a kid whose mother suffers from depression and is in the hospital after “doing something stupid,” as his father puts it. So he begins crafting lists to give to his mother of all the brilliant and wonderful things he can think of, from fun movies to ice cream to laughing the milk out of your nose. As the protagonist grows older he constantly updates the list and finds new ways to deal with his mother’s illness.
Although “Brilliant” is usually presented as a solo show, City Lights’ production is technically a duo performance, with Tasi Alabastro performing the speaking part and Dane K. Lentz signing in American Sign Language. Also, some audience participation is encouraged, as the actors engage audience members to share their own “brilliant things.” Also the show will, unlike most theater presentations, work with general admission seating, as a means to promote the informality of the production.
“Brilliant” originated as a short story by Macmillan, an English playwright, and was developed into an 80-minute solo show with the help of comedian Donahoe. It premiered at the 2013 Ludlow Fringe Festival, and has been performed around the world ever since. HBO also created a film adaptation of Donahoe’s performance of the work on Broadway. It’s still available to stream on HBO Max.
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