Rabbit

This production by SNADS was a powerful piece of theatre. Full of raw emotion, frank discussions about sex and relationships, and with liberal use of the ‘f’ word, it was a bold choice of play by the Director and the Society; a challenge, perhaps, for the audience but also for the cast and it was one to which, under the skilful direction of Toby Greenfield and with an excellent backstage team, that cast rose magnificently. The performances were strong and committed across the board, from the long opening conversation between Bella and her friend Emily which set the tone and tempo, through a range of intense and emotional exchanges and individual speeches (‘monologues’ would be too heavy a term), to the sudden and thought-provoking ending. The actors worked really well together as a team, bringing to life and making accessible an interesting, gritty and difficult (in the good sense of the word) play. What they all (cast, crew, director, everyone) achieved was very impressive indeed; one of the words to describe it that comes to mind – and I mean this as a high compliment – is ‘gutsy’.  

The enjoyment of the evening started with a very warm and efficient reception from the front-of-house team. They clearly worked very well as a team, as indeed did the whole of the cast and crew. The Exchange Theatre in Sturminster Newton has a large auditorium requiring very strong projection from the actors. They were able to deliver this nearly the whole time, despite the contemporary and often intense nature of the dialogue offering an easy temptation to veer into speeding-up and blurring diction – a temptation they had clearly worked hard to resist. The theatre also has a wide stage and good use was made of this with the direction and, particularly, with the set. It was fairly simple and very effective, split between a restaurant dining room, with appropriate wallpaper and a dining table and chairs, and the living room of Bella’s father’s house.

Judicious use was made in the opening minutes of the play of an audio track of a restaurant crowd’s murmuring, to create the setting and atmosphere. The props team had also done a great job to create the restaurant look, and the spinning angels table decoration (a birthday present for Bella, with a discrete electric motor standing in for candle power) was a triumph.

The performances were strong across the board, both as individual characters and in their interactions. The majority of the play comprises Bella her friends having a birthday dinner at a restaurant table, interspersed with flashbacks to conversations between Bella and her father at the father’s house. It’s no easy task to make a group dinner on stage, with the eating and drinking mingling with the conversations, come across as natural and convincing, and the cast succeeded in this, particularly in the second half which really flowed and had perfect pacing for the restaurant meal.

A very good contrast between the characters was created, not just by the script but also by the actors’ realisation of them. Tom was the ‘calm and sensible’ one and the actror played him with subtlety; often he would be just quietly listening while others talked, and he did that very convincingly, with the way he looked and reacted to what was being said. A distinct ‘world-weariness’ to the character of Richard was given, making all the more powerful and contrasting his later drunken argumentativeness, with his tie loosened and his tone taking on a more aggressive nature. Bella and  Emily set up the dinner scenario very effectively at the start with a long scene, chatting at the table about their lives, sex, and Tom, and it is a testament to their acting ability that they held the audience throughout. They revealed more of their characters as the play developed, and presented an engaging liveliness. Bella was the central character around which the play pivoted and the actress was very strong in the role. Her scenes with her father at home were moving and sensitive, and a powerful contrast with her scenes at the restaurant, ‘out with her mates’. Her mood and tone shifted across the spectrum and stand-out pieces were her talking about her father dying (the reactions of the others to this were also really good), and her extended explanation about why she presents as so hard and domineering.

The actor was excellent as the father, playing him in an understated way which added to the pathos and poignancy he brought to the part. It’s a funny play as well as serious and the scene in which he did a charade for the song Walking Back to Happiness was a delight. Emily’s talking about how at work in the hospital she had to hold the guts of a patient during an operation was also very humorous, in a black way, and the audience appreciated this, and other light moments, as a contrast to the intensity of much of the conversation.

One reason why the audience were gripped through what by its nature is a relatively static scenario – a dinner at a restaurant table – was the variety of pace and tone. This was shown in full force with the entrance of Sandy. She was brilliant in the role, bursting in with bags of gusto and a really strong voice and projection. Her entrance brought a whole new dynamic and a different energy to the ensemble, and with her pacing about the stage while the others were, during this scene, seated for the most part, she gave the needed contrast of the physical movement. Congratulations to both actresses on their really strong central performances, but that is not to detract from the achievement of the others; it was an ensemble piece and all showed their ability and strengths in it.

In addition to the challenges of the characterisations and shifts of mood, there were a lot of lines for all of the actors to learn, and some tricky, quick exchanges. There were very few prompts indeed, so congratulations.

 

For me the amount of 'f' words did, after a while, become a bit distracting and detracted slightly from the characterisations, but that was down to the script, not the acting or direction, and was just my personal response. It didn’t take away from the power of the play and was completely outweighed by the focus and engagement of the performance.

Well done to everyone, including the costume team, John Skinner on sound and lighting and the superb front-of-house team, and thank you for a very enjoyable and stimulating evening.

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