This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
On November 1, 2019, the Cradle Festival at Lava Latte hosted a production of Duncan MacMillan's 'Every Brilliant Thing' directed by Mugambi Nthige.
As part of the festival's theme of raising awareness about mental illness, particularly depression and suicide, Mugambi's audience was primed to appreciate his 'one-man' show about a boy who had to cope with those specific issues all his life.
The script blends depression and delight as the boy grows up in the shadow of his mum's attempted suicides, and Mugambi engages his audience with interactions that unfold through crucial characters in the boy's life as he transitions into adulthood.
These characters include the Vet who euthanizes his beloved dog, the Dad who copes with his wife's depression with music, the Teacher whose puppet Bosco enables the boy to pour out his feelings, and the Girlfriend-Wife Sam who loves the delightful man but cannot cope with his bouts of depression.
By engaging two of his fellow thespians to be his Dad (Elsaphan Njora) and Sam (Auudi Rowa), Mugambi adds to the charm of this play which grapples with problems that have become epidemic not only in Kenya but worldwide.
However, Mugambi's portrayal of depression was not convincing, but his joy, especially at meeting and falling for Sam, was genuine.
