Review: Rabbit at Theatre@41, York

Friday, 1st March 2024 at Theatre 41, York

⭐️⭐️

Foxglove Theatre’s Rabbit has an intriguing premise, promising marketing and sound talent carrying it, but it unfortunately doesn’t really marry these things together well enough. Billed as a dark exploration of childhood attachment and trauma, this show declares an invitation to audiences to “place the inner child under a magnifying glass and watch it burn”. We are told up-front that sweet little Rabbit will die by the end of the night, and we are given a lengthy list of trigger warnings and an age recommendation of 16+. The puzzlement lies in the fact that the show as it stands really doesn’t seem to match up to the expectations set by such marketing.

George Green is the sole performer and does well to switch between troubled human and scared bunny. Rabbit is certainly puppeteered with plenty of character and infantile angst, with Green giving them an endearing edge from the start. With a self-chastising dip of the head here, a quivering wiping of the brow there, and always with the skittish movement of a troubled rabbit lost and far from home, Green gets us on side quickly – even when the (presumably accidental) premature loss of an eye has quite a significant impact on Rabbit’s sweet little face in the earlier stages of the story.

When not giving life to Rabbit’s inanimate limbs, Green is very briefly a downcast young woman avoiding her mother’s calls, resenting attempts at contact and sticking to her place of refuge: bed. It’s clear that there’s a connection between the two, with rabbit dropping from the bed and into a scary wilderness (captured very nicely by set design which sees bedroom furniture garnished with moss). Rabbit is desperate to get back to a “mumma” who finds herself increasingly unable to engage: the inner child seeks comfort; the grown-up can’t find the emotional strength.

The problems arise with the script and the disconnect between show description and show reality. Once Rabbit is lost and trying to find a way back, we are thrown into what can only be described as a lengthy child’s show. The script is characterised by childish concerns and a teensy cute voice narrating a cycle of run-ins with creatures of the forest. While this successfully delivers the inner child concept, it isn’t actually all that engaging to watch for a grown-up audience. There are a few snatches of more grown-up commentary, but for the most part, we really are watching a sweet little bunny talk to themselves as they get more and more lost – with a voiceover chipping in to give inner thoughts which in truth don’t stray far enough from the spoken lines.

Lighting, sound and impactful video designs are our only real evidence of darker things being at play in the world of Rabbit – only when jarring, discordant sounds and ominous, flashing lights and haze interrupt do we see Rabbit breaking under the pressure. The conclusion is suitably brutal, as Rabbit is betrayed, but the journey to get to Rabbit’s tragic demise lacks enough of the promised psychological intrigue – and the origins of Rabbit’s abandonment issues never reveal themselves.

Take out the brief darker elements, and this would actually be a lovely show for children about being brave and facing fears when lost and alone. Add in a more grown-up script, or moments showing that this is indeed a show for grown-ups to reflect on serious themes and ideas, and you’d have something closer to the show’s self-image. Ultimately though, despite solid intentions to explore important subject matter, and the evident talent involved, Rabbit lands awkwardly between vision and result.

Foxglove Theatre have completed their run of Rabbit, but you can keep up with the company here, and you can check out other listings at Theatre @41 here.