LJ Johnson (He Said She Said, Kiln Theatre) and Dejon Mullings (Ted Lasso series regular) are announced as joining Naomi Denny to complete the cast of All The Happy Things, as the production is confirmed for an Edinburgh Festival Fringe transfer.
Directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson (A Hundred Words For Snow, Trafalgar Studios, Offie nominated for Best Director), the creative team includes designer Jida Akil, lighting designer Abi Turner, movement direction by Jess Tucker Boyd and by Yemurai Zvaraya.
A finalist for the Tony Craze Award and the debut full-length play by writer and actor Naomi Denny, All The Happy Things is a dark comedy about the powerful bond shared by siblings and the complexities of grief, told through a Global Majority lens. The production premieres at Soho Theatre on 9 April (preview: 8 April) before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (venue and further details to be announced).
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?
LJ Johnson (cast) said: “I’m super excited to be part of All The Happy Things. It is such a joyous play that displays grief in such a beautiful way. It’s a great team and fantastic new writing – watching these characters feels like hanging out with friends and I can’t wait for the audience to experience that!”
Dejon Mullings (cast) said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of such an amazing team telling a dark story in a very colourful and fun way. Sometimes pain is better dealt with through laughter.”
Lucy Jane Atkinson (director) said: “I’m so excited to be working on Naomi’s beautiful script with such a talented team of actors and creatives.”
Naomi Denny (playwright and cast) said: “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.”
Naomi Denny was a member of Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab in 2020. She was the first recipient of Tamasha Theatre Company’s artist mentorship programme and is currently a member of Hampstead Theatre’s Inspire programme, under the mentorship of Roy Williams. Her previous writing includes Unseen Unheard (Theatre Peckham) and Essentially Black (Soho Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre), which is currently being adapted for television. Naomi’s acting credits include Maryland (Royal Court Theatre), Paper Straws (VAULT festival), Breathtaking (ITV), and Dreamland (Sky).
NEED TO KNOW: All The Happy Things Plays at Soho Theatre 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE from 8 April to 26 April 2025
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