Rabbits

Rabbits is a one woman show that the playwright did not mean to write. Perhaps it would be better if she hadn’t.

Based on true events that have been magnified or played down, it tells the story of Emily Steel’s move from England to Australia to support her husband’s job opportunity.

Once settled into their new unit she endeavours to write a play but has to contend with a diverse group of neighbours.

Perhaps I am old fashioned, but I like a show to start on time. The audience on the first night had to wait in the overly hazed, dimly lit foyer till 8.15pm for an 8.00pm start. We were then welcomed by the director who ushered us “down the rabbit hole” aka the performance space.

We enter a vast warehouse with a cosily lit corner and the performer (Emily Steel) drinking tea, who seems surprised to see us and invites us to sit down and have a cuppa with her (we had already chosen a cup from the shelves in the foyer as our ticket).

The show starts and we are taken to Emily Steel’s world, one that consists of a playwright who is trying to write the ‘clever play’ but is prevented at every turn by neighbours who smoke and complain every time the family makes a sound.

Sounds like an interesting idea, however the script does not deliver and I found myself absorbed with details that I would normally ignore - the other audience members, the space and the props.

Don’t get me wrong; Emily Steel’s acting is engrossing. I really believed her and her characterisation, however there were a number of performance issues that prevented me becoming totally involved.

The script is clever, contrasting from the real world to the esoteric world inhabited by Steel and two rabbits that help her present her story and in some way, represent her dilemma of being a stranger in a new country. Often fascinating, it is also mundane and becomes predictable.

The direction by Daisy Brown is at times gutsy and in your face, but other times gimmicky and distracts from the story telling elements of the script.

Among other concepts I found the idea of Steel drawing lines on her face with an eyebrow pencil and sitting in a box set with a chair mounted on a side wall unnecessary and a distraction to the piece.

There were many times where the symbolisms (e.g. a rabbit hanging rabbit skins on a washing line) totally eluded me and seem to confuse the audience. The idea of having rabbits assisting Steel and also in some way representing her plight in Australia is ingenious but does not really work.

The sound by Mario Spate is atmospheric and enhances the production. It is a shame he is located so far away from the action, which divorces him from being an integral part of the production.

The message of the production was clear (unlike the ending which I will not divulge)- Steel is like a rabbit introduced to a new country and unwelcome.

However, all in all, I found the production uneven and as good as Steel’s performance is, was relieved when it ended.

Barry Hill

Photographer: Shane Reid