The revival of the Broadway play Every Brilliant Thing, starring multi-talented actress Tracee Ellis Ross may have ended, but since then, Tracee has been committed to dispelling the stigma behind mental health and depression, encouraging audiences to engage in conversation about the effects of social disorders.
From my perspective, the extent to which this has been carried out has not been accomplished at this scale since Dear Evan Hansen, the musical that necessitated widespread dialouge about suicide, notably when the production also made it’s way to Broadway in 2016.
I had the pleasure of viewing Tracee’s last performance for Every Brilliant Thing at the historic Hudson Theatre in Midtown last month. The atmosphere bustled with a house full of spectators, in the company of Queen Latifah and Gale King, who all prepared to witness this special viewing. As I went to sit in my orchestra seat, I was privy to the scene that was unfolding inside of the auditorium. Tracee and the Every Brilliant Thing team were already hard at work identifying audience members, in anticipation for the presentation that was soon to begin.
Originally performed in 2013, the Tony-nominated interactive play is a contemporary stage musical written by English playwright Duncan Macmillion and comedian Johnny Donahoe. The story tracks the life of the sole narrator from the age of seven to adulthood, who manages the grief of having a chronically depressed and suicidal mother.
She begins a list in the hospital after her mother’s first attempt, documenting different things in her life that are wonderful; a reminder to her mother to appreciate the good that the world yields. By the end of the performance, she has crafted a list of up to one-million brilliant things, and its influence slowly trickles into her own life as its impact widens within her community.
Before Tracee took to the stage, the production was revived in March of this year, starring actor Daniel Radcliff, best known for the Harry Potter franchise. Then, commenced by Law & Order’s Mariska Hargitay the following May, and received two nominations at the 79th Annual Tony Awards (Best Leading Actor in a Play and Best Revival of a Play).
It was obvious to the creator of the show that Tracee, the Girlfriends actress, television executive producer, and PATTERN Beauty CEO, would be the ideal candidate for their new leading role for the fourth revival of the production. Macmillan told The Hollywood Reporter that Tracee was more than well-suited to perform the solo part. “I’ve been a fan of Tracee’s work for a long time and knew her quick-wit, intelligence, and emotional depth would be the perfect fit for Every Brilliant Thing.”
The entirety of the show is excellently performed. Tracee graciously demands your engagement and commitment to this piece with her storytelling, really personifying this commanding role. Finally getting to experience Tracee in a live theater role is rewarding not only because of her talent as a Hollywood actress, but also because of the playfulness embedded in her character that is present throughout the entirety of her onstage performance. Various attendees would be gracefully brought onto the stage as the actress ushered them to commit to their short, but very significant role, not before Tracee would politely go “I’m going to ask you to be [insert character], if that’s ok”.
“It’s a solo play, but it’s not a solo act,” Tracee said last month on an episode of The View, in which she discussed her Broadway debut and the second season of her Emmy-nominated show, Solo Traveling With Tracee Ellis Ross. “In the pre-show, we actually cast about five people from the audience that are willing to participate to help me tell this story.” She continued saying “we give out cards, and when I say certain numbers, the audience shouts out those cards. So every show is different.”
The discourse surrounding the “correct” way to center conversations on mental health and depression heavily underpins this story; however, this production makes it absolutely certain that any approach must be rooted in community, which Tracee embraced. “To me, the special part of the show is that when you do this thing called life together, we can all flourish,” she said.
In the conversation on The View, Tracee praised Whoopi Goldberg, for being one of her motivations to enter the performing profession. At her Broadway debut, the actress credited her lifelong love of theater to her upbringing, which included getting to experience Whoppi’s claim to fame on her original one-woman show.
“I’ve been a fan of Tracee’s work for a long time and knew her quick-wit, intelligence, and emotional depth would be the perfect fit for Every Brilliant Thing.”
Raised as a native New Yorker and frequent Theater District goer, Tracee’s artistic roots run deep, and as the daughter of Motown legend Diana Ross, she was exposed to iconic performers from a young age: “I had obviously grown up seeing my mom on stage, you know, a woman with agency on stage…I grew up with Carol Burnett, and Lucille Ball, and Lily Tomlin.”
It wasn’t until after watching Whoopi’s iconic 1984 one-woman show, The Whoopi Monologues, she recognized that storytelling can be revised to be something that is spoken, not always sung. “Just going to the theater is life changing, but Whoopi sort of took it to a whole other level,” Tracee said. “When I saw Whoppi, I was like…‘oh, it can weave a story. Like you can tell a story on a stage, it doesn’t have to be a song.’”
Tracee’s generosity to this role has reassured audiences in a significant way. In her emotional speech during the last bow at the Hudson Theatre, Tracee expressed immense gratitude for getting the opportunity to join audiences, and the Every Brilliant Thing crew in this collaborative production. “I’m telling a story, and I’m doing it with all of you. And I can’t do it without you,” she expressed, adding, “You don’t have to act or perform. You just need to be honest, kind, and open. And I won’t let you fall.”
© Brianna Savage (8/31/26) Special for FF2 Media®
LEARN MORE/DO MORE
Read Tracee’s interview in Playbill here.
Watch Tracee’s interview with Whoopi here and on Broadway World here.
CREDITS & PERMISSIONS
Featured/Middle Photos: Photo Credit to Brianna Savage. Authorized for responsible use by FF2 Media LLC as long as user includes link to this post.
Bottom Photo: Tracee visits the Empire State Building in New York to celebrate the season 2 premiere of “Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross” on the Roku Channel. Credit Image: © Eric Acquaye/ZUMA Press Wire). Alamy ID 3F3MDT2.
