Rabbit is an interesting play, oscillating between the more trivial backdrop of Bella’s 29th birthday drinks and the poignant flashbacks of Bella and her dying father. It seems that the play had a lot of potential, with many thought-provoking themes being alluded to at parts. However, these lucid moments often seemed random and got lost in the bawdy cacophony of the backdrop, yet this may be more of a criticism of the writing than the execution.

“A stark and fearless portrayal of middle-class millennials”

The play was a stark and fearless portrayal of middle-class millennials and their struggles navigating the parameters of sex in an interesting exploration of the power dynamics involved. The characters presented these tensions through the frequent embodiment of certain sexual stereotypes – some more nuanced than others. They are all interconnected in a messy labyrinth of past flings and current flirtations; these dynamics are executed particularly well by Bella (Georgia Vyvyan) and her rakish ex-partner Richard (Freddie Bartlett-Evans), with both embracing the contradictions of their characters with an impressive professionalism. Another pairing that stood out was the father and daughter, which seemed to beg a poignancy that was slightly lacking – at times interjections seemed somewhat random and we failed to be fully engaged with what could have been some incredibly heart-wrenching moments.

“We left the theatre feeling a little bit more alive than we did when we came in”

In terms of production, we’ve seen better sets at the ADC, and considering it was meant to be a bar it could have done with some more sound effects – the slightly comic dated telephone ring stood out painfully loudly against the silent background. The actual set itself was static, and didn’t quite manage to evoke the kind of swinging dives that we usually frequent. In the penultimate scene however there was a break from the mundane as we witnessed a spectacular set transformation – videos from Bella’s childhood projected onto the stage as her father gave his final monologue. This was a fittingly stirring ending considering the more serious tone of the play in the second half.

Review: MIST: Diazepam

We left the theatre feeling a little bit more alive than we did when we came in. Grab yourself a pinot grigio from the ADC bar and settle in for a decent night of a contemporary drama