Sometimes, you see a piece of theatre that resonates with you and helps you to see that being part of the action of the piece is not audience participation but letting yourself lean into the story. Every Brilliant Thing is such a night at the theatre. Geelong Contemporary Theatre’s director, Nicholas Brooke, whom I met after the show, spoke about the one-person, one-act work as being funny, sad, and yet relatable.
The Potato Shed is a great space for a small show, and the basic minimalist set, in full light with a seating plan that ensured people did not head for the back seats but surrounded the narrator’s workspace, set the atmosphere for the show. All audience members were handed cards or scraps of paper with words or phrases or entire sentences and a number, given to us by the narrator Rachelle Lachland Goulter as we were seated.
At first, the audience seemed amused by the task, but we soon learned that they were pivotal to the show’s flow. Rachelle would refer to a number in her monologue, and the audience member was required to read it out in the context of the action of the show. In the event that the number had not been allocated, the Stage Manager was quick to provide the relevant wording.
Without giving too much of the plot or action away, the narrator took us through a number of stages in her life. She recounted joys and laughter at some parts of the play and skillfully brought us all to tears in other moments. The underlying theme of mental health and its impact on a life is central to the piece. The effect of books and music on the lives of the family also had their part to add to the narrative.
Every Brillant Thing is a moving and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Rachelle Lachland Goulter’s performance was crafted with a script that allows for improvisation and interaction with the audience that is both gentle and clever. In her performance, Rachelle runs the gamut of emotions that is genuine and heartwarming. If you go and see Every Brilliant Thing, you may just want to start your own list.
Every Brilliant Thing has only one show remaining on 23rd September 2023, at 1 p.m., so book in whilst you still can.
This review also appears at It’s On the House.
