Daniel Radcliffe to star in Broadway premiere of Every Brilliant Thing

By Kerri-Ann Roper, PA Entertainment Editor

Daniel Radcliffe is to star in the Broadway premiere of the one-person play Every Brilliant Thing, it has been announced.

The play, written by Olivier Award nominee Duncan Macmillan, follows a man or woman reflecting on their life and the “glimmers of hope that carried” them through, told through a list of “every wonderful, beautiful and delightful thing – big, small and everything in-between – that makes life worth living”.

Harry Potter star Radcliffe, 36, follows in the footsteps of stars including Sir Lenny Henry, One Day’s Ambika Mod and TV presenter Sue Perkins, who have taken on the role previously.

 

Good Will Hunting star Minnie Driver, 55, is currently starring in the play at London’s Soho Place, where it runs until November 8 before transferring to New York.

Playwright and director Macmillan – whose other plays include Lungs and People, Places And Things – said: “Every Brilliant Thing tackles some serious subject matter, but the overall experience is one of joy and celebration.

“Every performance is unique and unpredictable and it requires virtuosic skill from its central performer. When Daniel told us how much he loved the play, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

“He has the intelligence, quick wit and charm to roll with the spontaneous moments that the show invites – he can be a clown one moment, then grab you by the heartstrings the next. He has huge depth and humanity. I can’t wait to get started.”

Radcliffe won a Tony Award last year for his starring role in Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along, which also featured Lindsay Mendez and Jonathan Groff and charts the turbulent relationship between three lifelong friends.

His other theatre credits include Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, and earlier this year he was announced as part of the cast for NBC comedy series The Fall And Rise of Reggie Dinkins, alongside US comedian and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan.

Every Brilliant Thing first premiered in 2014, starring comedian and co-creator Jonny Donahoe, and he also starred in an adaptation for an HBO special.

It is due to run at New York’s Hudson Theatre from February 21 to May 24, with Macmillan joined by Jeremy Herrin to direct.

Herrin will also direct the upcoming West End adaptation of John le Carre’s The Spy Who Came In From the Cold, and has also directed Labour Of Love, The Heretic and The Priory.

Tickets for Every Brilliant Thing go on general sale from November 14.