All The Happy Things – Birmingham Rep

Writer: Naomi Denny   

Director: Aaliyah McKay

Sienna and Emily are like any two adult sisters: they bicker, they laugh, they share secrets. But their relationship isn’t what it seems: almost a year ago, Emily died unexpectedly, and Sienna is desperately trying to process her grief. Part of that process is that she sees Emily everywhere – not just sees: they have full-blown chats and arguments. The grief is all-consuming, affecting her rekindled relationship with her boyfriend, Sam, and at work with her boss, Kevin. And then there’s Ruby, Emily’s ex. Emily broke off their relationship with no explanation just before her death, leaving Ruby baffled as to why, and now in limbo too.

Naomi Denny is the writer of All the Happy Things and plays the central role of Sienna. Denny’s writing is excellent, and the dialogue feels real – for example, when two characters, each absorbed in their own positions, occasionally talk rapidly over one another. As audience members, we can’t hear either, but that’s the point: sisters and couples don’t necessarily politely take turns to speak. It all feels as if we’re flies on the wall, observing Sienna’s journey, even as her memories of Emily begin to fade. Director Aaliyah McKay also ensures the humour in Denny’s script is delivered well, leavening the mood: a tragicomic scene where Sienna tries to recreate for Sam the dance sequence she and her sister learned to TLC’s No Scrubs is a memorable and affecting scene early in the play.

Michaella Moore brings us Emily. When the sisters interact, she appears larger than life, all of her emotions and physicality exaggerated as the fine detail fades in Sienna’s memory. Moore also plays Ruby, struggling to come to terms with the end of the relationship, wanting to reach out to Sienna but not knowing how. The scenes involving Ruby and Sienna are awkward, uncomfortable, but ultimately life-affirming.

Gavin Dunn plays Sam, Sienna’s partner, and also Kevin, her boss. Dunn’s Sam is supportive, desperately trying to do the best for Sienna, but not quite knowing how. He’s baffled by Sienna’s mood swings – of course, neither Sam nor Kevin can see or interact with Emily, even as she’s very much in Sienna’s field of vision: there’s a particularly striking moment when Emily’s appearance destroys what could have been a beautiful, intimate moment between Sam and Sienna.

Kevin, on the other hand, is quite the piece of work. Full of faux concern and corporate-speak, he embodies the very worst of men in the workplace, paying lip service to Sienna’s well-being while actively undermining her and worsening her downward spiral. Dunn’s Kevin is a man totally devoid of empathy or self-knowledge.

The interactions between the characters play on our emotions as we see things from Sienna’s perspective, with occasional laughs and also incredibly moving elements too.

Delyth Evans’ simple set design—two doorways and a gauzy backdrop—works neatly with McKay’s direction, with the occasional glimpse into Sienna’s head through the gauze. Callum McDonald’s lighting sharpens things further, switching between the naturalistic and the hard-edged monochrome as moods switch.

This moving, funny, challenging play takes us on a ride through the emotions that Sienna and others experience en route to a degree of closure; you’re left uplifted and moved. In the hands of a lesser cast and director, the final scenes could be saccharine, but that is skilfully avoided, leaving one reflecting on the experiences of those left behind.

Runs until 16 April 2026 and on tour