Reviewed by Judd Hollander
You come into the Westside Theatre on a Monday evening and
see a set consisting of a table, on which have been placed with two glasses of
what appears to be water, and a chaise lounge. Next, the actor comes on stage
and is handed the script by the producers. It is a script he (or she) has not
read until that point. Then, we begin.
Such is the premise for White
Rabbit Red Rabbit, a one-person show written by Nassim Soleimanpour. A
native of Iran ,
he was forbidden to travel at the time he wrote the play and so sent it out
into the world in his stead. By the time he was allowed to leave his homeland
and see a production of this work, it had already been performed - according to
the program notes - over 200 times in 15 different languages. White Rabbit Red Rabbit was also the
first play Mr. Soleimanpour had written in English - a task which, he explains,
was quite hard indeed.
More than a play, White
Rabbit Red Rabbit can best be described as a sort of improvisational
exercise and "get to know you better" interplay between the actor,
the playwright and the audiences members. There were 153 people in the audience
the night I saw the show; I personally being number 55. Said actor reading the
lines aloud and following tips and scenarios provided by the unseen yet
ever-present playwright. It's through this process that the actor and the
audience begin to understand what the writer is attempting to do as he works on
bringing all those present into the unfolding story.
How the evening actually comes off depends on the person
performing the play. Alex Brightman - who recently finished a run in the Andrew
Lloyd Weber musical School of Rock - doing the honors the night I attended.
Mr. Brightman's strong sense of comedic timing serving him quite well here as
he became several different characters during the course of the evening, while
speaking both the words of the writer as well as his own. Brightman thus being
given the chance to put his own spin on the presentation. He also introduced
the audience to his father and his voice teacher. Both of whom were attending
the performance that night.
In his script, Mr. Soleimanpour brings up some rather interesting points. Including the relationship of time as it measured in writing a play. He explaining that he is working on the piece at one moment in time, though when his words are actually read aloud, he may not have any idea just who is reading them; or when and where they are being read. Or if he will even be alive when they are spoken. Though the playwright does refer to an email address where people can contact him and comment on the show they have just seen.
Mr. Brightman, who became a footnote in the play's history as
first person ever to get the job of performing the show after tweeting that he
wanted to do it, certainly got into the spirit of the piece. He throwing
himself, quite literally at times, into the various roles he assumed. He also
got more than a bit of help from the audience, many of whom were involved at
different points and capacities to help bring the work to its desired
conclusion.
At the heart of White
Rabbit Red Rabbit is a kind of experiment in regards to learned behavior,
cause and effect, fear and desire and simulation of the same. These principles
coming into focus as the play deals with issues of death, trust, and a core belief
system. More than this cannot be revealed without going too deeply into the structure
and nature of the work. Though after seeing it performed by one specific person,
you can't help but wonder how it would look when performed by another actor
with a totally different style; and whether the overall effect of the play
would thus change when given a different interpretation.
An involving and in many ways an immersive experience, I
found White Rabbit Red Rabbit to be funny,
thought-provoking and quite insightful. As for what exactly the title means,
and its overall significance in the story, you'll have to see the play
yourselves to find out. Something which I strongly recommend you do as soon as
possible.
White Rabbit Red
Rabbit
Written by Nassim Soleimanpour
Stage Managers: Alexander Crawford & Logan
Reed
General Manger: Cheryl Davis
Production Associate: Sally Cade Holmes
Press Representatives: Vivacity Media Group/Leslie Papa
& Whitney Holden Gore
Advertising/Marketing: AKA
Social Media: TKP Digital Marketing
Social Media: TKP Digital Marketing
White Rabbit Red
Rabbit was originally produced by Volcano Theatre in association with
Necessary Angel and Wolfgang Hoffmann
Dramaturgy by Daniel Brooks and Ross Manson
A portion of the play's profits will go to PEN
International, the world's leading association of writers working to promote
literature and defend freedom of expression around the world.
Westside Theatre
Tickets: 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Information: WhiteRabbitRedRabbit.com
Running Time: 65 minutes, no intermission
Currently Running on Monday nights
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