I’m just home from the theatre, and I have spent the last 40 minutes on the train engaged in a very heated debate with myself. You see, I had planned on writing a review of the show “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” taking place in the New Theatre as part of Absolut Fringe 2012. The concept of the show had immediately caught my eye on my first flick through the Fringe brochure, and I was intrigued by the promise of a unique, one-off performance. But now, having seen the show, I’m conflicted as to whether I should tell you about it at all!
At the beginning of each performance, a single actor is given a sealed envelope. Inside is a script written by Nassim Soleimanpour, a 29 year old man living in Iran, which they have never seen before. With no rehearsals, and no idea what they have let themselves in for, the actor must perform the script to the audience. This daunting task is met by a different performer every time the show is staged, without the input of a director or the comfort of a stage-hand to help you. The stage is almost entirely bare, save for a chair, a table and some small props, and in the end the success of the performance relies soleley on the actor and their engagement with the script.
The challenge of “White Rabbit, Red Rabbbit” has been seized upon by the producers of Fringe, and some of Ireland’s biggest names in theatre have agreed to take the plunge and participate. “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” performers includes actors Stephen Rea, Olwen Fouéré, Peter Daly, Natalie Radmall Quirke, Shane Byrne, Ciaran O’Brien, Gina Moxley, Hilary O’Shaughnessy, Amy Conroy and comedienne Maeve Higgins. The result is a fun, refreshing look at theatre, but one which relies soleley on the unexpected. Which brings me back to the debate I was having at the beginning of this post. What could I tell you about this fantastic show, without giving too much away?
Well, the answer is very little actually. I don’t want to tell you who the performer was this afternoon, as that removes some of the pre-show excitement. Equally, I don’t want to tell you what happened once the envelope was opened, as the surprises begin immediately. I don’t want to tell you the premise of the show, nor how the author engages with his subject, his audience or the performer. The spontaneity of the show, its reliance on our ignorance of what happens next, the promise that each of the actors involved will respond very differently to the script, gives this show its magic. And its a magic that I don’t want to ruin. Instead, I will merely recommend that you take one hour out of your day to go and see this show. Because I can guarantee you, it will be a completely unique experience that you won’t forget.
“Whether it worked or not, you had to be there” – Peter Crawley, Irish Times http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2012/0912/1224323906207.html
“This is the single greatest coup the Fringe have pulled off this year” – Roisin Agnew, Le Cool http://lecool.com/dublin/en/40821
For more information on the show, take a look at www.fringefest.com. You can also follow Nassim on Twitter at @soleimanpour, or you can email him – his adress is given out half way through the performance!
