White Rabbit, Red Rabbit

Theatre is meant to be intriguing, and the Tasmanian Theatre Company promotion for Nassim Soleimanpour’s play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit certainly was. I was approached to review the play, and some provisos, or cautions were given: don’t be a spoiler (don’t say what happened) and don’t be political, or at least, be sensitive to the politics.

Well, intrigued already! What I did know was that the play, or at least, the Hobart incarnation of it, had a “world premiere” every night in its season of eleven performances. There are no rehearsals, no director and no set.

A different actor reads the script cold for the first time at each performance. They come onstage, receive an envelope, and the playwright speaks through them. Each performance is likely to be different. Sometimes, the playwright seems to be speaking to the audience, around the actor. Actors Gavin Baskerville, Anne Cordiner, Bryony Geeves, Ryk Goddard, Guy Hooper, Samuel Johnson, Mel King, Jane Longhurst, Hamish Michael, Kate Mulvany & Katie Robertson performed, with audience participation, on successive nights. I saw Samuel Johnson.

Some people have called the play a metaphor; some say it is an allegory. Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour was 29 and unable to leave his country, having refused military duty as a conscientious objector. He had no passport to travel, so he sent his play out into the world. His unusual (some say wild), utterly original play is an interesting experience to be involved in. The play has been seen and celebrated around the world, but the writer was unable to see and experience the success of White Rabbit, Red Rabbit until the beginning of 2013 in Australia. Having been retroactively discharged from service, Soleimanpour has since received a passport.

I’m glad I had the chance to see this energetic, original work. It would have been interesting to see the entire season, with all of the actors, but I don’t think I have the stamina.

Merlene Abbott