Mariska Hargitay will make her Broadway debut on Every Brilliant Thing this spring.
Hargitay takes over the solo show from Daniel Radcliffe, who is set to play his final performance at the Hudson Theatre on May 24. Hargitay begins May 26, and the run has now been extended through June 28.
Written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe and directed by Jeremy Herrin, the play is about a person whose mother attempted to die by suicide and they attempt to cheer her up by listing things that make life worth living. As the main character grows up and battles depression, more brilliant things are added in. The play involves a large amount of audience participation, with attendees asked to step in as characters in the solo play and shout out brilliant things written on slips of paper.
“I read Every Brilliant Thing and cried, rejoiced, laughed, cried some more, and loved it so much,” said Hargitay. “I’m always drawn to themes of healing and renewal, especially when the journey is rendered in all its complexity. It feels like an extraordinary gift to make my Broadway debut, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, with a play that affirms life so emphatically. For me, the triumph of this beautiful piece of work—this luminously brilliant thing—is that through a deeply personal story, we experience the universal endeavor of keeping ourselves pointed towards light, compassion and hope.”
Hargitay is best known for her role as Olivia Benson in the NBC series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She recently made her feature-film directorial debut, with the documentary My Mom Jayne about the life and legacy of her mother, the actress Jayne Mansfield. She has also produced several works, including the Emmy-winning documentary I Am Evidence, Nuns vs The Vatican, My Beautiful Stutter, and Emanuel.
