EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT, Assembly George Square Studios, August 2 2014

I'll admit it: I'm a fan of a theatrical gimmick. Generally speaking, a production that has a bit of a high-concept twist that can be summed up in ten words or less is in with a good shot at a positive review from me. And so, White Rabbit Red Rabbit, with its pitch of 'actor opens envelope and performs play without ever reading it' was already off to a good start.

The play, written by Nassim Soleimanpour, is a strange yet charming and ultimately wholly enjoyable oddity: the actor (on this occasion, the comedian Adam Riches) reads the play aloud for the first time and Soleimanpour speaks both to him and, via him, to the audience; he describes how, denied a passport, he feels he can travel the world through his words. We are invited to email Soleimanpour, a photo is taken of some participants which he asks to be sent to him, and the overall effect - as he addresses us in the present, but from some point in the past - is singularly dizzying.

It doesn't hurt that Riches himself is a hugely charming presence. He never wavers in his commitment to what's asked of him, and is full of raised-eyebrow 'we're all in this together' bonhomie. And if the play's poison-related central conceit never quite has the impact it's meant to (due to overwhelming implausibility), Riches' appeal combined with the originality of the piece - you won't have seen anything quite like this - make for an absorbing hour that's never less than fascinating.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit runs at the Assembly George Square Studios until August 25th.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.