Daniel Radcliffe has returned to Broadway with an innovative one-man production that combines improvisation, extensive audience interaction, and a script he modifies live during each show. This demanding format pushes Radcliffe into new territory, emphasizing active engagement with theatergoers in a way few performances do.
Though this challenge ranks just shy of his previous toughest Broadway role, Radcliffe embraces it fully. His involvement in the 2011 musical How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying remains a higher point of difficulty for him, particularly due to the physical demands of dancing.
“It’s probably second behind ‘How To Succeed.’ I feel like doing the dancing was really, truly a bridge further than I ever thought I would cross,”
Radcliffe said of that past Broadway experience.
About the Show: Exploring Mental Health Through Audience Participation
The production, Every Brilliant Thing, written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, centers on a man who copes with his mother’s suicide attempt by compiling a list of life’s joys—ranging from trivial to profound. As the protagonist grows and wrestles with depression, the list expands with the help of the audience, who contribute ideas aloud from slips of paper. This interaction blurs the boundary between actor and spectator, making viewers an essential part of the storytelling.
Apart from vocal contributions, audience members occasionally portray characters from the lead’s life. Radcliffe reassures attendees with:
“I would like to take this opportunity to say nobody who doesn’t want to do anything will be asked to do anything.”
This voluntary participation, especially during the show’s prelude where Radcliffe engages directly with theatergoers to invite their involvement, was a major draw for him.
“I feel like it scratches an itch of there’s something in there that I’ll never be asked to do again. There’s elements of the show that are so unfamiliar. Whenever I find something that’s like, there’s part of it that feels like a very good fit and that sits kind of in my comfort zone, and then there’s part of it that’s like absolutely nothing that I’ve ever done before, that’s a very exciting combination,”
Radcliffe explained.
Return to the Hudson Theatre and Balancing Career Demands
This production brings Radcliffe back to the Hudson Theatre, the site where he recently starred in the revival of Merrily We Roll Along through July 2024, a performance that earned him a Tony Award portraying the neurotic lyricist Charlie Kringas. Although he had not originally planned to reappear on Broadway so soon, Radcliffe was motivated by the compelling script and practical considerations related to fatherhood. With his son currently in nursery school, Radcliffe was conscious of the challenge of juggling Broadway commitments as children grow older.
“I just kind of, I was like, right, let’s make hay while the sun shines and get straight back in there,”
he shared.
Radcliffe’s role choices in recent years have reflected a desire to expand his acting range far beyond the legacy of Harry Potter. His portrayals have included Weird Al Yankovic in a Roku movie, a corpse with an unusual ailment in Swiss Army Man, and a deeply disturbed stable boy in the Broadway revival of Equus during the Potter filming period.
Currently, Radcliffe balances this intense stage work with a comedy role on NBC’s sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, co-starring with Tracy Morgan and Erika Alexander. Although this sitcom role offers less personal challenge, Radcliffe enjoys the lighter genre.
“Not a huge amount of pushing myself,”
he admits about the sitcom, adding about his co-star,
“Anyone who ever gets the chance to go to Tracy Morgan’s house, take it. You will not regret it.”
Adapting the Script and Handling Live Variability
Every Brilliant Thing began previews on February 21 ahead of its official opening on March 12. In preparation for Radcliffe’s version, Duncan Macmillan revised the original 2013 script to better align with Radcliffe’s age, background, and natural speech rhythms. Despite this adjustment, Radcliffe must continuously adapt each performance based on unpredictable audience contributions, requiring sharp improvisation skills.
“I think one of the things I’m gonna have to try and learn on this is to kind of have amnesia,”
Radcliffe said.
If there was a great thing that happened last night, it’s not gonna happen tonight again, and that has to be OK. And we’ll find there will be other things that are really great tonight.”
Global Reach of the Play and Unique Audience Engagements
The production instructions emphasize that Every Brilliant Thing can be performed by anyone, anywhere, with references customized to the performer and location. This flexibility has led to global reach with diverse executions—from Minnie Driver’s rendition in London’s West End to Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s version performed in a tent. The play has been staged in over 66 countries, adapted to local cultures. Notably, in Bangladesh, it’s performed in intimate home settings, while in the Philippines, the engagement with audience members is even more interactive.
“The script now functions as a history of the show a little bit. And I’m obsessed with the woman who did it in the Philippines,”
Radcliffe said.
“Because there’s lots of moments in the script where the characters come close to kissing, and obviously we don’t, because they are audience members and it’s a Broadway play, and I’m not going to be doing that with anyone. But Kakki Teodoro made out with so many people, I was just like, ‘Yeah, good for you, man, that’s awesome.’”
Why the Play Resonates Widely and Actor Preparation
The play’s enduring popularity stems partly from its low production costs as a single-actor show that can be tailored to any context, and from its poignant subject matter surrounding mental health. Macmillan notes its global impact in encouraging openness about emotional struggles and seeking help.
“It’s OK to talk about your mental health. And if you need help, then ask for it,”
Macmillan explained.
Director Jeremy Herrin, who has worked on previous productions, and Macmillan employ a deliberate, almost scientific approach in preparing actors for unpredictable audience interaction, including bringing unknown individuals into rehearsals early to simulate real audience dynamics. They also acknowledge the challenge that Radcliffe’s fame presents but praise his bravery and willingness to connect directly with theatergoers.
“The whole gesture of this show is kindness and compassion and that we’re not alone, and we all sort of feel this way sometimes. And Dan just has that to his core. He’s such an incredibly clever, hard-working person, but he’s also just a very nice person, and so that’s something we just haven’t had to practice to get him to fake. It’s just inherently there,”
Macmillan said.
Looking Ahead: The Impact of Radcliffe’s Participation
Daniel Radcliffe’s immersion into this demanding and unconventional Broadway production highlights his commitment to stretching his artistic boundaries while addressing urgent social themes like mental health awareness. His willingness to embrace audience participation and live unpredictability offers a refreshing theatrical experience that challenges traditional performance models. As the show continues through its run at the Hudson Theatre, it promises to maintain a dynamic conversation between actor and audience, inspiring empathy and connection in a unique way.
