Everyone has probably made a list or two in their lives. Like a to-do list, grocery list, etc. Ever since I was a child, I’ve made lists of so many things: math formulas, movies and series to watch, bands I want to see in person. I remember making lists of almost everything. I keep lists of my work tasks and deadlines, life goals, things to do before I turn 30, and places I want to travel to. I even keep a list of my favorite actors and their birthdays. One time, I saw my sister keeping a list of her passwords in case she forgot them. We all have a list of lists. Listing things helps us stay focused and organized. But there’s one thing I’ve never tried listing: the small, beautiful things that make life worth living.

Award-winning Filipino theater icon Jon Santos returns to the stage in “Bawat Bonggang Bagay”, a queer Filipino translation of Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe. This mental health awareness play follows the life of an LGBTQIA+ individual who copes with mental health struggles by listing the beautiful things that give his life meaning. 

A young person's list of small joys unfolds in an entrancing 90-minute one-person interactive performance. The story begins with the narrator’s flashbacks to his early years, as he deals with his mother’s chronic depression, which eventually leads to a suicide attempt. Despite his innocence and lack of life experience, the boy decides to help his mother by creating a list of wonderful things that make life worthwhile. As he grows and experiences more of life, his list in “Bawat Bonggang Bagay” grows along with him.

The list of the kid, which begins with physical things like halo-halo, refrigerator magnets, action figures, and dollhouses, gradually expands to more abstract joys like “pag-bike nang pababa (biking downhill),” “pag nagpahiram ka ng libro at binasa ito (lending a book and seeing them read it)” or “pag nag-kiss kayo ng crush mo sa panaginip (when you kiss your crush in a dream).” The progression of the list reflects how, as we mature, we begin to value not just tangible things but also emotional and sentimental experiences.

This refreshing play breaks from traditional theater, offering a touching, funny, and uplifting journey. “Bawat Bonggang Bagay” reminds us that even life’s smallest moments can spark hope. Since it is an interactive play, no two performances are likely to have the same experience. Audience members become part of the show, as stage crew and cast distribute lines written on colorful pieces of paper for them to read aloud during the performance.

Recently, the Filipino slang word bongga, which is used to describe something that is extravagant, flamboyant, impressive, stylish, or excellent, has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary. That’s one more thing to include in the list of beautiful things.

Bawat Bonggang Bagay ran until June 22, 2025, at the Power Mac Center Spotlight Blackbox Theater in Circuit Makati.