All The Happy Things is the debut full-length play by playwright and actor Naomi Denny. A dark comedy about the powerful bond shared by siblings and the complexities of grief.
Sienna is trying to deal with her grief by clinging on tightly to what she knows – in short, she’s seeing her dead sister everywhere she goes. As Emily’s presence becomes more and more overwhelming, the line between happiness and delusion becomes more and more blurred. How do you truly let go of someone when you imagined they’d be there forever?
Naomi Denny: “I wanted to write about loss but I didn’t want to write a sad story. So, All the Happy Things is a play about finding the light in the dark. It is about the silliness, the unique language, the shared memories that you have with your sibling. The characters are influenced by – although not based on! – my sister and me, and echo the experience of so many of us who have siblings: we bicker, we fight, but we love each other so much we can’t bear to let the other go.
It means so much for this show to premiere at Soho Theatre – where I wrote it five years ago whilst working Front of House. It feels like such a full circle moment that the audiences I once ushered into these spaces will now come to see the show that I’ve written. I want these audiences to leave the show wanting to call their siblings; to laugh, to cry, to be moved – and above all, to appreciate all the happy things that come with having a sibling.”
Jules Haworth, Soho Theatre Creative Engagement Associate: “Naomi’s play All The Happy Things captured the hearts of our Tony Craze Award judging panel. Naomi’s ability to draw complicated relationships hits deep, through ordinary characters attempting the daily grind, while balancing extraordinary love and loss. With her creative flair and natural talent for collaboration, it’s no surprise her career is taking off as one of this generation’s brightest theatre-makers.”
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE
Date + times: 8 – 26 April at 18:45 / Saturdays 15:00
Black Out performance: 16 April at 18.45pm
Post-show Q&A: 26 April matinee
Box office: https://sohotheatre.com/events/all-the-happy-things/ / 020 7478 0100
Ticket prices: £10 – £25
