"The Joy List" by Collide Theatrical at Luminary Arts Center

Collide Theatrical Dance Company's new original jazz dance musical is inspired by the British play Every Brilliant Thing, of which I saw two local productions in 2021, and is now having its Broadway premiere (starring a little-known actor called Daniel Radcliffe). It's a beautiful and bittersweet solo play, in which the narrator tells the story of his life, including past and present traumas, all while constructing a list of "every brilliant thing" he encounters, or in this version, a "joy list." As usual, Collide has expertly transformed this narrative story into one told primarily through dance, and captures that beautiful and bittersweet feeling in about 75 minutes. Coming out of a difficult winter (for multiple reasons), it's good to be reminded of the little and big things that bring us joy, but also that we can't fully appreciate the joy until we acknowledge and deal with the pain. The Joy List continues at Luminary Arts Center through April 12.

The narrator of the story is in this version called Chris, played by frequent Collide dancer Patrick Jeffrey. He's extremely likeable as he narrates the story (enlisting his fellow dancers to play roles), with a few lines of dialogue between dance numbers. Similar to the original play, Chris first starts writing his "joy list" as a child with his mother, who suffers from mental illness. After a tragedy, he loses sight of the joy and abandons the list, until he begins to heal after meeting his wife. But healing is not that simple, or linear, and he has to go back to the pain before he can move forward in joy.

Collide's Artistic Director Regina Peluso created the piece, co-directs with ensemble member Jarod Boltjes, and choreographed it, with help from Heather Brockman, Jared, and other ensemble members. The 12-person ensemble (including four apprentices) portray all of the characters in the story, named and unnamed, as they dance to recorded pop songs that are as always perfectly chosen to fit each moment in the story. The scenes are alternately joyful and sorrowful, all emotions beautifully expressed through movement. And some are just fun, including a baseball ballet and coffee shop chaireography. 

The design of the show is also joyful, filled with color and so many post-it notes the show should be sponsored by 3M! There's not as much audience participation in this version as in the original, but we do get to write down a few joyful things on post-it notes that the ensemble gathers and reads aloud. As joyful things are listed during the show, we see the post-it note projected on the back wall, or the ensemble brings it out or embodies it. Black boxes of various sizes are gracefully moved around the set, along with white packing boxes containing clever props. For the joyful scenes the cast is dressed in bright bold colors that match the set, paired with jeans that they move remarkably well in. Basic black leotards are used for the more somber scenes, with additional costume pieces to help with the character transformations (projection design by Leslie Ritenour).

If you can't see Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway in Every Brilliant Thing (I'm in NYC next weekend and will try!), you can see a lovely dance version of this poignant story by Collide Theatrical, right here in Minneapolis.