Showing @ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 11 Oct @ 19:30
For a play that defies conventions, it’s quite apt that this piece of experimental theatre has become a victim of its own success. Whilst most plays benefit from word of mouth, critical success and big name stars showing an interest, White Rabbit, Red Rabbit has lost some of its potency due to its growing cult following.
The play itself has no director and no rehearsal. The audience are introduced to nothing more than a table, a chair, two glasses of water and a step ladder at the introduction of the performance. The actor enters the stage with what we are told a vial of poison and opens a sealed envelope that contains the script. This is a cold reading down to the barest bones.
The script by Iranian Nassim Soleimanpour was written in response to his inability to leave his own country. Frustrated by the refusal of a passport because of his position as a conscientious objector, Soleimanpour has written a sprawling monologue that takes an allegorical look at the relationship between human beings and the rules and regulations of our place in society.
It may not sound like the most joyful of productions but Soleimanpour has a wonderful, dry humour and makes ingenious use of audience participation. Whilst the actor is very much a vessel for the writer, it requires a very brave and honest performance from them. This performance had the wonderful Scottish actress Siobhan Redmond who wholeheartedly committed to the text.
As we reach the show’s climax, having made a strong connection with our actor, the production takes a sinister turn. After the explanation of the title, an experiment that the writer’s uncle used to do with his rabbits, and an uneasy discussion on suicide, we are told that our actor’s life may be in danger. There is a possibility that he, or she, will not survive the final act they undertake and that we may be a witness to a live criminal act on the behalf of the writer.
It feels like the intention is for the final act to be extremely intense, with an uneasy air hanging over the audience as we wait for the outcome. However, before the production even begins we are given a flyer telling of the play’s success, over 200 performances, performed in countries all over the world with a wide range of famous actors. The posters contain the names of the big stars performing over the next few days (subsequent performers at the Traverse were Phill Jupitus and Ewen Bremner). Is there really any doubt that our actor is in danger? Sadly, this theatrical experiment ends on a whimper, which weakens the excellent work done up to this point. For the show to work again and be given the tension and shock value, it should be locked away and forgotten about and performed to an audience with little to no knowledge of what they are about to witness.