Mariska Hargitay Will Succeed Daniel Radcliffe in Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway

The brilliance will continue on Broadway.

Merrily We Roll Along Tony winner Daniel Radcliffe, who officially opened in Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's Every Brilliant Thing March 12 at Broadway's Hudson Theatre, will play his final performance in the solo show May 24. The stage and screen star will be succeeded by Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU, My Mom Jayne), who will be making her Broadway debut. Hargitay will begin performances May 26 in the production, which has extended its run through June 28.

“I read Every Brilliant Thing and cried, rejoiced, laughed, cried some more, and loved it so much,” said Hargitay in a statement. “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 has been nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards for playing Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, winning the Emmy in 2006. She also won a Golden Globe in 2005 for her work on the long-running series.

Off screen, Hargitay is a prominent activist, having founded the non-profit organization Joyful Heart Foundation, to help survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. Her work as a producer has also brought vital stories into the spotlight, including the Emmy-winning documentary I Am Evidence, Nuns vs The Vatican, My Beautiful Stutter, and Emanuel. In 2025, Hargitay made her feature-film directorial debut, with the documentary My Mom Jayne, examining the life, career, and complicated legacy of her mother, Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield. 

Jeremy Herrin and Macmillan co-direct the production. Read reviews for the Broadway staging by clicking here.

In Every Brilliant Thing, Radcliffe's nameless protagonist faces a distant father, a suicidal mother, and his own inexplicable deep sadness. And in a spark of childhood genius, he counteracts these obstacles by chronicling every brilliant thing in the world—first to cheer up his depressed mother, and later for friends, lovers, and himself. Those things include items ranging from simple pleasures ("ice cream,” “the color yellow”) to the far more specific and detailed ("old people who are kind and don’t smell unusual,” “the even numbered Star Trek films").

READ: If You Want to Get Called on at Every Brilliant Thing, Don't Be Too Eager, Says Daniel Radcliffe

The solo play debuted at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it played three sold-out consecutive summers before coming to Off-Broadway's Barrow Street Theatre in 2014. The latter run was filmed live and aired on HBO with Donahoe starring. The work returned to Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, where it was a Playbill Pick. The work also recently made its West End debut at @sohoplace, and featured a rotating roster of stars.

The full creative team from that West End bow is reprising their work on the Main Stem, including Herrin and Macmillan, scenic and costume designer Vicki Mortimer, lighting designer Jack Knowles, and sound designer Tom Gibbons. Casting is by Jessica Ronane, TT Partners is general managing, and Jhanaë K-C Bonnick serves as production stage manager.

Second Half Productions, Seaview, and Gavin Kalin Productions are producing.