Month: April 2026

Accessibility Review Of ‘All The Happy Things’ Written By Naomi Denny

/ thevicritic / Leave a comment

Hi everyone, and welcome to another review!

Once again we’re back at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester for ‘All The Happy Things’ By Naomi Denny! 

This show has a small cast of three starring Naomi Denny, Gavin Dunn and Michaella Moore.

With this show being staged in The Mercury’s Studio space, raw art was very simple with a purple background with two doorways lite up by LED strips which I thought was a really helpful touch as then to was more able to see the case coming through! The set it self was very simple with only a few stools and a bench, placed in various positions to determine the place that they were trying to create. Combined together with a great use of sound design, it was easy to work out where the characters weere at any given time. 

Described as dark comedy, ‘All The Happy Things’ tells the story of Sienna, a young woman who has lost her sister due to a tragic accident. A few months later in a dead end job, she’s still coming to terms with the loss of her sister Emily and struggling with mental health, whilst struggling to juggle a relationship with her partner Sam. But the one thing that Sienna is still coming to terms with is that she’s is still seeing and having conversations with her dead sister. 

A collage of childhood birthday photos. In the main central photo, two small children with medium brown skin and curly dark hair sit facing each other at a wooden table. The child on the left is leaning forward and blowing toward a small round birthday cake with several lit candles. That child wears a light-colored top and blue jeans. The child on the right is smiling, watching, and holding a fork, with a plate of cake in front of them. That child wears a light shirt and blue overalls and sits in a wooden high chair. The table is sturdy with thick turned legs, and the cake is on a white plate with a white cloth or napkin under it. The background shows a doorway and wooden cabinet doors in a home interior. This main photo appears slightly torn and taped at the top, with rough white edges on the right side, giving it a scrapbook or nostalgic effect. Faded, semi-transparent photos are layered behind it, showing more images of the same children at different moments: smiling close-ups, another angle of the birthday cake, and casual candid shots. The overall color tone is warm and slightly faded, evoking older printed family photographs.
A minimalist theater stage set with cool blue lighting. There are three large, slightly angled translucent wall panels across the back of the stage; the left and right panels each have a tall rounded-rectangle doorway outlined with vertical LED strip lights that glow white with a hint of warm color. The center panel is solid and leans slightly, giving the whole wall a stylized, off-kilter look. On the floor in front of the wall is a pale blue oval or rounded shape that contrasts with the surrounding light gray stage floor. At the center of this blue area stands a simple rectangular wooden coffee table with dark legs; on top of it are a couple of sheets of white paper. Under the table, near the middle, is a black object that looks like a small bag or case. To the far left, just in front of the wall, is a small side table with a dark metal frame and wooden top. On this side table are a folded light-colored towel or cloth and some colorful rectangular items, possibly books or props, along with two small bottles or containers. The background beyond the set is all black curtains, and the lighting on the set is primarily blue from above, giving the panels and floor a soft, cool glow while the surrounding stage remains darker.

This show is simple, and dialog driven with very little to no physical scenes aside from a sexual suggested scene and a dancing scene. It also had a good level of jokes and comedy sprinkled throughout which was very good and had the audience laughing out loud. The story demonstrates how a sibling might act after losing another sibling, but also how grief can effect each person differently, but then also you can come out at the other end of the tunnel. 

Naomi and Michaella do an amazing job conveying the almost imparting relationship that Sienna and Emily have, alongside Gavin Dunn who plays Sienna’s partner Sam and also her work boss, and what other family and partners do to support their partners during this difficult time! But they all did an excellent job!

Unfortunately I didn’t see an Audio Described or Touch Tour available, which would have only added to the enjoyment of the show. Even though yes, the set is simple, and simple props, something like Audio Description should always be available for people with Sight Loss. A Touch Tour would have been very simple and easy to put on for audience members and allowed the cast to let them know of their character more deeply and maybe little secrets about them. Hopefully this is something this production can look into for future shows?

But overall, please don’t miss understand me that this show was an absolute joy to see and would happily see it again, with its amazing cast and story. The story is great, and comedy timing was top tier! If you do get a chance to see this show, you’ll be missing out if you don’t spend an evening out watching this. 

‘All The Happy Things’ has unfortunately ended at The Mercury. So I would definitely look up this show online and see if its coming to a theatre near you soon! 

Until Next Time,

The VI Critic