BY KAREN BOSSICK

Duck pancakes with hoisin sauce. Christopher Walken’s hair. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out of your nose.  Ice cream. People falling over.

Are these some of the brilliant things that make life worth living for you?

They are for the little boy in “Every Brilliant Thing,” which The Spot will present Wednesday through Sunday.

Madi O’Very paints a picture of her puppy on the walls of The Spot. “I love painting,” she said. PHOTO: Karen Bossick

The sometimes sad, often funny, always thoughtful, play stars Brett Moellenberg as a young boy who spends his childhood trying to cope with his mother’s depression and suicide attempts by constructing a list of “brilliant things” that make life worth living.

He shares them with his mother when she’s feeling down. Sometimes it clicks. Sometimes it doesn’t.

The list doesn’t stop as he grows into adulthood. Instead, he keeps adding to it, all the time trying to understand his mother and why she was so unhappy.

“As a boy, he finds it easy to be happy—he shows up at school without socks or his lunchbox and he’s able to deal with it because it’s easy to find happiness reminders,” said Moellenberg, who is also directing the play. “But, as he grows, it’s harder---the challenges begin manifesting themselves in more different ways. There’s a line in the play I really like: ‘In order to live in the present you have to find a future that’s better than the past.’ ”

Volunteer painters left The Spot vibrantly colorful. PHOTO: Yanna Lantz

This is likely unlike any play you have been to before. The audience is drawn in to act out certain characters or to blurt out brilliant things Moellenberg can add to his list. Engaging the audience in his musings is sure to add a level of improvisation that will make each evening new and fresh.

The audience participation started early as The Spot invited patrons into their studio ahead of the production to paint things that made them happy on the black walls that surround the play-in-the-round.

About 20 adults and youth showed up, their payment a glass of soda, sparkling water or wine and a chance to win two free tickets as they painted to the music of “Itchycoo Park” and other hits of the 60s.

Faced with an array of paint brushes and acrylic paints of every color, including neon and metallic, Ingrid Pratt painted a can of Dr. Pepper and a big round full moon.

Ingrid Pratt paints the moon next to her can of Dr. Pepper. PHOTO: Karen Bossick

“I love hanging out with these people,” said the teenager. “I love Dr. Pepper and, while a lot of people love the sun, I love the solitary nature of the moon--I’m definitely a night owl.”

Written by English playwright Duncan MacMillan and Irish comedian Jonny Donahoe, “Every Brilliant Thing” tackles things like depression and suicide with humor and sensitivity as it offers insight and hope.

“I love this play so much because it covers topics that aren’t often discussed,” said Yanna Lantz of The Spot. “It’s no secret that mountain towns have some unique challenges in this area. It’s our job to look out for each other, to talk about our feelings.”

Moellenberg said The Spot picked the play in part in hopes that it would give people a distraction leading up to the election, which is creating anxiety for a lot of people.

Adults and youth touted such things as autumn leaves, music and freedom as being among the things that make life worth living.

“It’s very hopeful and uplifting,” he said. “And it shows the lengths to which we will go for those we love.”

Lantz has been tasked with writing out many of the “brilliant things” that the audience will be asked to read during the play.

“It’s been such a joyous journey,” she said. “Being behind the scenes writing up list reinforces that attitude of gratitude. It makes me happy each day.”

IF YOU GO…

The Spot will present “Every Brilliant Thing” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, and Friday through Sunday, Nov. 1-3.

The Spot is partnering with the Crisis Hotline to offer a talk back after the Friday and Sunday shows. The talk back will address some of the issues in "Every Brilliant Things"--Idaho had the 12th highest number of suicides in the United States in 2022.

For tickets, go to https://ci.ovationtix.com/35975/production/1216152.