‘Every Brilliant Thing’ revolves around a young boy who is trying to fight his mother’s depression with “a list of everything brilliant in the world. The script of ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ makes certain things clear from the start — “The house lights are on full and will remain so throughout. There is no set. The audience are seated in the most democratic way possible, ideally in the round”. When Mumbai-based QTP Productions presents the play at The Box on Sunday, March 19, Pune audiences will be able to enjoy it just as playwright Duncan Macmillan had intended. “The play is set in the round. This means the audience is on four sides. There is no set. Actor Vivek Madan, literally, talks to every audience member,” says director Quasar Padamsee, better known as Q.
‘Every Brilliant Thing’ revolves around a young boy who is trying to fight his mother’s depression with “a list of everything brilliant in the world. Everything worth living for”. Audience members call out their own list — ice cream, water fights, things with stripes, and so on. “The design of the play is that it must be participative, so audience members are asked to be part of the whole experience. They have the liberty to say no if they are uncomfortable. The way we look at it is, just as someone struggling with mental health needs support from people, similarly the performer needs the support of the audience to take his story forward. It’s quite an uplifting thing to receive so much love and passion from the audience,” adds Padamsee. In an email interview, the director reveals his engagement with ‘Every Brilliant Thing’:
What made you take up ‘Every Brilliant Thing’? Did the emotional upheaval of the pandemic affect your selection?
I was given the play as a gift by a very close friend and I read it in one night. When I finished, I messaged my two partners at QTP, Toral Shah and Vivek Rao, and asked them to read this. I said, ‘Even if we don’t do it, you must read it’. They did and, when we met, we all loved it but for different reasons. I loved the story and form, Vivek responded to the humour and Toral loved the content. It was a no-brainer. This happened in 2019, so well before the pandemic.
How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect the play’s performance?
We had a very successful run and were on tour when the pandemic hit, so things had to be put on ice for a while. We did stage it online during the pandemic. It was slightly different, but still very effective. The play is about mental health, and I think that during the lockdowns, we all needed some connection with other people, and that’s what the show brings. Also, we had a counsellor at the end of all the online shows, and the conversations were illuminating and needed. Post-pandemic we had to revisit the play, for us to understand whether it still mattered to us, and whether we could still do it. We went back into rehearsal for a week, and came back with an affirmative answer. So here we are… doing shows.
Why did you adapt ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ to an Indian setting?
The author wants the play to be performed in the idiom of where it is played. Taking that as our guide, we have localised it to an Indian setting, full of locations that ring true to our existence. I think it helps the audience connect with the material. In fact, a lot of the localisation has been inspired by Vivek Madan’s own life. We have not changed anything in the plot, and the structure of the words is still Macmillan’s. He really is a genius.
Tell us about Vivek Madan as a performer.
Vivek is an incredibly generous performer. We have known each other for years but never worked together in this relationship. I was a bit apprehensive, to be honest. But, right from the first rehearsal, he was game to try out any suggestion, any idea. That kind of trust is very liberating, and it allowed us to explore the text in ways I didn’t think possible. Eventually, we found ‘our version’ of the play. It has evolved quite substantially over the years. I think it’s more ‘honest’ and less ‘stagey’ than when we opened. It’s almost a simple show. The idea is to commune with the audience, and we have tried hard to maintain that and find new ways to do it. It’s been a fascinating learning journey, and continues to be.
What has been the effect on audiences in different cities?
Universally, the play seems to strike a chord with many people. I think this is because most people have struggled at some point in their life, or been affected by events that occurred to them. Maybe, the play explains how sometimes the real reason for their reaction was rooted in a much older event. The conversations afterward, particularly when the counsellors are doing a post-show session, are always very exciting. We’ve had some people share very intimate life details about themselves, and others really share their anxieties. There have been tears, and smiles, and hugs… lots of hugs. I think Vivek is the most hugged man I have ever met. We’ve played in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, so we are quite excited to see how Pune responds to this.