Reviews – Every Brilliant Thing
25 August 2024Jarred West is outstanding as the Narrator. Whether looking back to his time as a seven year old, to his teenage years and then on to his adult life, he is completely convincing.
Joel Horwood’s direction is tight, busy and imaginative, giving West the opportunity to bring depth, both verbally and non-verbally, to his role
- Len Power, Canberra CityNews
West is a consummate story-teller as well as a skilled actor. His friendly interaction in warmly welcoming audience members as they arrive, while surreptitiously planning who will be invited to undertake particular tasks, successfully dissipates any natural reluctance to participate. His choices are vital to the success of the production.
His skill in insuring that no one was embarrassed, and that their contribution would be appreciated, was quickly recognised, resulting in some remarkable spontaneous moments as the audience became more and more invested in the story-telling.
Horwood’s unobtrusive, perceptive direction and clever use of sound, which ensured that the storytelling never became static and that the serious moments hit their mark.
Definitely entertaining, even occasionally moving, Every Brilliant Thing is an engaging play, given an intelligent, thoughtful production by ACT Hub, that is guaranteed to leave its audience charmed and uplifted.
It’s a thoughtful, heart-filling show that you would be foolish to miss.