EVERY BRILLIANT THING Previews- Page 2

[Ensemble1670470656]

Posted: 2/26/26 at 5:04am

Fordham2015 said: "Falsettolands said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Radcliffe has no standby for this.

An approximate 85-minute runtime is listed on the website, with no intermission."

weird that they couldn't find someone to cover..."

Weird but not unprecedented; Sarah Snook didn't have an understudy for Dorian Gray last season"

It's easy to see why Dorian Gray didn't have an understudy with all the pre recorded stuff, there's no reason for EBT not to have one.

[Falsettolands]

Posted: 2/26/26 at 12:51pm

Ensemble1670470656 said: "Fordham2015 said: "Falsettolands said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Radcliffe has no standby for this.

An approximate 85-minute runtime is listed on the website, with no intermission."

weird that they couldn't find someone to cover..."

Weird but not unprecedented; Sarah Snook didn't have an understudy for Dorian Gray last season"

It's easy to see why Dorian Gray didn't have an understudy with all the pre recorded stuff, there's no reason for EBT not to have one."

Exactly, and with the dozens of productions of this show having been done across the country within the last few years, goodness knows there are plenty of actors that already have the text memorized.

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/26/26 at 1:11pm

Radcliffe is practically famous for never missing performances. 

[Kad]

Posted: 2/26/26 at 5:03pm

Radcliffe is also the selling point of this production. If he's out, there will be so many refunds that canceling the performance is the better option, regardless of whether there is a billed understudy. 

Updated On: 2/26/26 at 05:03 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/1/26 at 12:07pm

I saw this last night and, although I wish I didn’t watch the HBO version ahead of time, this show is very beautiful in its simplicity. It deftly handles the subject of suicide and the familial contagion of mental illness with balanced levity and also seriousness without feeling like it’s pandering to or patronizing the audience.

Daniel Radcliffe does an amazing job here because he already comes to the material with some level of rapport with the audience as he hands out the “brilliant things” throughout the theatre pre-show. He is also very adept at improvising and ad-libbing as necessary based on the objects he receives as props from the audience, as well as the people who are asked to join in as various characters. He could easily coast on being charming and doing the minimum, but I remain very much enamored with his willingness to choose projects that challenge him, as well as the audience.

For 75-80 minutes, it’s just him creating the show with nothing but the text of the play, and his audience, including times where he is actively running around the theatre. The level of stamina demanded here is probably on par with Oh, Mary and he does it almost effortlessly. I highly recommend it.

STAGE DOOR: Daniel did come out after about 40 minutes and he really took his time with everyone from both the 5pm and 8:30pm shows. Security at that theatre remains top-notch in crowd control. He remains one of the most fan-friendly people and even thanked me and shook my hand after I told him about my experience as a psych nurse and that he was doing an important service with this play. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/1/26 at 12:41pm

For those who have seen the show, do people in the Dress Circle get to participate at all — or is that limited to the orchestra?

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/1/26 at 1:13pm

JSquared2 said: "For those who have seen the show, do people in the Dress Circle get to participate at all — or is that limited to the orchestra?"

I was sitting in rear orchestra and it sounded like a lot of people in the upstairs levels participated

[Ensemble17591322022]

Posted: 3/1/26 at 2:45pm

quizking101 said: "JSquared2 said: "For those who have seen the show, do people in the Dress Circle get to participate at all — or is that limited to the orchestra?"

I was sitting in rear orchestra and it sounded like a lot of people in the upstairs levels participated"

Yes, you just need to be there when he runs around upstairs if you want to be picked. So I’d be one of the first to line up outside if you can.

[JayVenclaw]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 2:37pm

I'm surprised we haven't heard many reviews (not real reviews but "impressions" of the show so far. Is there a different message group I'm missing? It's been over a week, hasn't it?

 

EDIT: Yes I edited this from it saying "ANY" reviews to "many." :) -Love,Peace,Theater! :)

Updated On: 3/2/26 at 02:37 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 2:38pm

JayVenclaw said: "I'm surprised we haven't heard ANY reviews (not real reviews but "impressions") of the show so far. Is there a different message group I'm missing? It's been over a week, hasn't it?"

quizking101 just reviewed this. 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 2:45pm

Radcliffe scheduled for "Colbert" tonight.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 3:43pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "JayVenclaw said: "I'm surprised we haven't heard ANY reviews (not real reviews but "impressions") of the show so far. Is there a different message group I'm missing? It's been over a week, hasn't it?"

quizking101 just reviewed this."

This made me laugh. Unless they think I’m an eloquent enough writer that I’m considered a “real review” as opposed to an impression.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 3:44pm

quizking101 said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "JayVenclaw said: "I'm surprised we haven't heard ANY reviews (not real reviews but "impressions" of the show so far. Is there a different message group I'm missing? It's been over a week, hasn't it?"

quizking101 just reviewed this."

This made me laugh. Unless they think I’m an eloquent enough writer that I’m considered a “real review” as opposed to an impression."

You’re one of the most trusted posters on these boards. 100% real :)

Updated On: 3/2/26 at 03:44 PM

[JayVenclaw]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 4:02pm

Um...ok. Sorry? lol. Maybe my browser hadn't refreshed. Y'all are right. People def want to find a way to 'correct' the first "mis-statement" that's made around here. Just excited to hear people's impressions/reviews/thoughts/how their bowels reacted... you know... etc... lol. Thank you everyone for still contributing to an on-subject response. Hope everyone is having a good day! :)

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/2/26 at 4:08pm

JayVenclaw said: "Um...ok. Sorry? lol. Maybe my browser hadn't refreshed. Y'all are right. People def want to find a way to 'correct' the first "mis-statement" that's made around here. Just excited to hear people's impressions/reviews/thoughts/how their bowels reacted... you know... etc... lol. Thank you everyone for still contributing to an on-subject response. Hope everyone is having a good day! :)"

My apologies. I really was just ribbing you - no harm was meant by it, though I understand it doesn’t always translate as such. I hope my review give you some insight 

[JayVenclaw]

Posted: 3/3/26 at 7:34am

No worries my friend! Yea, I probably misinterpreted your response tone. I’m just glad you got to experience the show with Daniel! I loved the show when I saw it downtown a decade ago(?). It’s a beautiful story and was curious how they kept the intimacy of the storytelling but can see they added on stage seating. Also, we were on the producing team for Daniel in H2Succeed and he was wonderful to work with. I’m glad he’s got the chance to bring this touching story to so many people who may possibly be dealing with or know someone who’s dealing with this mental struggle.

 

P.S. Thank you for your respectful response and the review of your experience! 😁

Updated On: 3/3/26 at 07:34 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/3/26 at 9:18pm

I have to be honest - this did not do it for me.

The audience interaction is a clever conceit, to a point - I thought it got old very quickly. I also felt like some of the audience members were milking their “moments,” which made me cringe. It’s hard for me to even “review” the play, because this isn’t necessarily a play in the classical sense. In that vein, to be charging Broadway prices here feels criminal, but this is the norm at the moment, at least in Seaview’s current model. One star, brief runtime, one “set,” exorbitant ticket prices.

Daniel Radcliffe is as endearing as ever, and I do give the production kudos for tackling heavy issues, but it does so with copious amounts of cheese and heavy-handedness. Radcliffe literally has to say things like “it gets better” and “talking about your mental health is vital.” It’s all very on-the-nose and not particularly nuanced. 

If that’s your thing and you’re a Radcliffe fan, by all means go. The audience ate it up. Sniffles and laughs abound. But I was left wanting more.

Updated On: 3/4/26 at 09:18 PM

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/4/26 at 9:47pm

Radcliffe on Colbert with massive manic energy lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFSrarXr_MA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs32cBkxuFg

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 3/9/26 at 9:25pm

Getting in from tonight’s show. I think this is going to hit a lot of different people a lot of different ways based on a lot of different factors in their life. For me, this one hit HARD. I had  tears on my face for a much larger part of it than I had ever expected to and the interesting thing is I could see it again tomorrow and have a completely different experience. You truly will never see the same show twice, here. But tonight’s was…damn. And what Daniel Radcliffe is doing up there for 75 minutes will be etched in my brain and will be brought up in every “Most special stage performances I’ve ever seen” discussion from now on.

I was asked to go again in a few weeks and I’m sitting here thinking that I really don’t want to. I don’t want to see it any differently and ruin my memories of tonight. Five stars. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 11:45am

I asked him at stage door why he took on this taxing role so soon after Merrily, and he said "I want to make Jordan weep."

Radcliffe really is a perfect fit for this.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 12:09pm

Exactly. Radcliffe is so charming and disarming that he seems comforting when discussing this with the audience.

I don’t think there is a right way to write a play about suicide because it’s such a personal and visceral experience (sorry, Marsha Norman), so I’m usually content when a play is able to engage conversation about it without being patronizing or trafficking in harmful tropes. This is a good play for someone who might find a show like NEXT TO NORMAL or PEOPLE, PLACES, & THINGS to be intensely triggering 

[merrily_we_roar_on.11]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 3:25pm

I understand why some were left wanting more, but seeing this play last night was one of the most cathartic and amazing experiences I've had in a while. It feels like the show begins the moment you step into the house as Dan Radcliffe runs up and down the aisles, shaking everyone's hand as if he weren't Tony Award Winning World Famous Daniel Radcliffe. I was afraid the vibes would be overwhelming in the room with everybody freaking out about him just existing in the space, but it was wonderfully calm and felt completely normal. People who show up in Harry Potter accessories/clothing annoy me but thankfully none of them went too publicly wild. I was lucky enough to get to sit on the stage and I spent so much time just admiring every part of the exposed backstage of the beautiful Hudson. 

I'm very easily emotional at shows that discuss mental health but this one especially got me. The book itself isn't typically very intricate, but I thought it was perfect. I think the journey is beautiful and the details that are added to the story, like the music. The audience participation last night went really well on both ends of the emotional spectrum. There's a moment where he asks an audience member for a book to use, and the person sitting next to me lent him her book, which comically happened to be Heated Rivalry. The whole audience laughed for a very long time and gave the whole following scene a very different subtext in a fun way. Then later on, the woman that was playing his elementary school librarian came up with this line about how a good teacher can change your life and I lost it. I was fully sobbing and was embarrassed when Dan made eye contact with me multiple times when I was a complete mess.

Daniel Radcliffe is definitely the heart of the show and delivers this monologue so compellingly that I wonder if people who aren't commonly theatre goers and just come to see him will think he's telling his personal story. I definitely recommend this show to anyone who has struggled with mental health, and it's definitely worth the price if you rush.

[AC126748]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 4:53pm

I noticed that David Hull, who was Radcliffe’s cover in How to Succeed and then went on to have a strong supporting role on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, is listed as the associate director here. He was helping Radcliffe to pass out cards before the show. I’m guessing he probably wouldn’t go on, but could he possibly be an uncredited understudy?

[Sauja]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 6:16pm

Curious to hear if anyone knows whether they tend to ask people in the same areas to be the same audience participants. For example, I was in the balcony on the aisle when a woman with the production asked my friend and I if we would be comfortable participating from our seats and speaking with volume when called on. We both panicked and declined! So I don’t know if we would have gotten specific answers to shout out to the list or whether we would have provided our own.


Regardless, I did notice that the man who was “Sam” at our performance was spoken to by Radcliffe minutes before the show started and then moved from his seat in the front row of the balcony to on stage. It SEEMED like everyone else who participated in the action kept their original seats, but I absolutely don’t know if that’s completely accurate.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 7:28pm

AC126748 said: "I noticed that David Hull, who was Radcliffe’s cover in How to Succeed and then went on to have a strong supporting role on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, is listed as the associate director here. He was helping Radcliffe to pass out cards before the show. I’m guessing he probably wouldn’t go on, but couldhe possibly be an uncredited understudy?"

I think we discussed this earlier in the thread. It’s likely that he is, but he will never go on barring an extraordinary circumstance. Similar to how Paul McGill was the associate director (or choreographer?) for HEDWIG with that whole run, but they either cancelled the show or, in the case of JCM’s ankle, brought back Michael C. Hall for a week while they modified the show