White Rabbit Red Rabbit West End Reviews

Beyond its simple gimmick, White Rabbit Red Rabbit remains a refreshingly authentic piece of theatre in a time when even the most improvised works have an element of rehearsal. Taking basic concepts of human nature and flipping them on our heads, I w...

Beyond its simple gimmick, White Rabbit Red Rabbit remains a refreshingly authentic piece of theatre in a time when even the most improvised works have an element of rehearsal. Taking basic concepts of human nature and flipping them on our heads, I was on the edge of my seat for this press performance.

On press night, the text was interpreted by Nick Mohammed – perhaps best known under his uproariously funny, utterly obnoxious comic alter ego Mr Swallow. Though that character is overbearing and egotistical, here Mohammed displays striking generos...

On press night, the text was interpreted by Nick Mohammed – perhaps best known under his uproariously funny, utterly obnoxious comic alter ego Mr Swallow. Though that character is overbearing and egotistical, here Mohammed displays striking generosity, dropping in just a few judicious comic pauses and nervous, sidelong looks to heighten the humour without ever disrespecting the play’s conceit or drawing focus from Soleimanpour’s text.

Soleimanpour’s writing is very meta, looping around to interrogate the act of a performer interpreting and communicating the work to an audience. It challenges us to analyse our natural responses: do we start to think of Mohammed as the author, and...

Soleimanpour’s writing is very meta, looping around to interrogate the act of a performer interpreting and communicating the work to an audience. It challenges us to analyse our natural responses: do we start to think of Mohammed as the author, and how much is our view of Soleimanpour shaped by him? Mohammed, who is an astonishingly good cold-reader and delightful company, certainly lent the author his charm, and – for better or worse – an eagerness to put us at ease. Other performers may revel in the uncomfortableness of the situation.

Mohammed nails both the humour and the sorrow. He takes the script at a lick, for the most part, but when one anecdote takes a particularly dark turn, he falls silent and walks for several paces against the slowly rotating stage, giving the revelatio...

Mohammed nails both the humour and the sorrow. He takes the script at a lick, for the most part, but when one anecdote takes a particularly dark turn, he falls silent and walks for several paces against the slowly rotating stage, giving the revelation a moment to fully resonate. Tomorrow night’s actor will respond differently, as will whoever who picks up the envelope after them, and the actors who bravely sign up to future revivals in years to come. It’s a cleverly timeless piece, echoing authoritarian oppression the world over.

Reviewers are also requested to keep the secrets of White Rabbit Red Rabbit. But what I can say is that it deals in themes of oppression, identity and what it means to be free. Animal metaphors are used as the foundation of the story; they are poigna...

Reviewers are also requested to keep the secrets of White Rabbit Red Rabbit. But what I can say is that it deals in themes of oppression, identity and what it means to be free. Animal metaphors are used as the foundation of the story; they are poignant but also bewildering, which is part of Soleimanpour’s plan. Like the actor each evening, the audience also has to experience the theatrical unknown.