‘Every Brilliant Thing’ is giving Southwest Florida audiences more than a million reasons to live and enjoy life in paradise.

This show by Duncan Macmillian with Johnny Donahoe is a reminder to embrace life and remember it always gets better.

The show is a subtle depiction of suicide as 123 people die each day in America from suicide. Don’t let this scare you about the show. Sometimes the most uncomfortable topics make the best and this one act, single actor play, accomplishes this in the intimate setting of the Artstage Studio Theatre.

Actor Michael Satow is charismatic and does a wonderful job narrating this story about a 7-year-old boy whose mother is clearly struggling with mental illness and attempts to take her life. He’s convincing in his role and will have you believe it’s his own personal story as he successfully connects with audience members.

The little boy creates a list of reasons for his mom to live. First on the list is icec ream, and as he grows, so does the list and the reasons to live mature with the story.

The show is very audience interactive as Satow encourages chosen audience members for a moment to play the characters in his life. That impromptu act adds to the delight and could potentially make each show uniquely different creating its own comedy, keeping Satow on his feet and prepared to adlib as attendees become part of the story.

In closing it’s a show worth seeing and no doubt in a weird way the probably the most endearing story you’ll see about suicide. The show succeeds and had me counting my blessings walking out of the theater and to my car. One of those blessings was having the opportunity to see the show in sunny Southwest Florida.

The show runs through March 29th. Click here for more information about tickets and showtimes.

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