“White Rabbit Red Rabbit”. By Nassim Soleimanpour. Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company, 40 Stow Street, Concord, through November 11.
By Michele Markarian
Born at the tail end of 1981 in the Islamic Republic of Iran, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour refused to participate in mandatory military service that, upon completion, would allow him to travel outside of Iran. In his isolation, he wrote “White Rabbit Red Rabbit,” a play that has been translated into more than thirty languages and performed all over the world. Part theater, part thought experiment (think Schrodinger’s cat), “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” is a lighthearted but pointed entry into a country the playwright cannot leave.
The audience – me included – have been instructed not to give away any of the play’s details, so I won’t. What I can say is that there is no director, only one actor, and that actor is handed the script for the first time as the lights go up. The actor changes with each performance – obviously. Mary Callanan was the actor who performed at the show I witnessed. She gamely led us all into the journey of the unknown, with help from members of the audience. The play is a reminder of our global interconnectedness and how our actions have consequences, whether we intend them to or not or whether we take action at all.
The piece has to date featured award-winning playwright and performer Melinda Lopez and actor and cabaret headliner Robert Saoud. Future performances will include Boston musical theater favorites Anthony Pires, Jr. (10/19) and Aimee Doherty (11/2) and Norton and IRNE Award-winning choreographer and director Ilyse Robbins (10/27).
Like a good piece of literature, : White Rabbit Red Rabbit” will stay with you, as will its author, whose voice is present throughout. I leave you with this line: “How often will conformity control your thoughts, my rabbits?” For tickets and information, go to: https://theumbrellaarts.org/production/white-rabbit-red-rabbit
