A slice of new theatre comes to Seven Arts.
4/5 Stars
Dominic Grace’s new play Rabbitskin claims it asks its audiences to “consider how easy it is for us to listen to other people’s stories, but how difficult it is to tell our own”. If you haven’t read this on the back cover of the programme you probably won’t have realised this is it’s main message, but despite this Rabbitskin is a striking and beautiful piece of theatre that is not easy to forget. In an hour’s monologue Joe tells us how, as a young Irish Catholic, he came to live in Yorkshire; how he lost his mother before he got the chance to really remember her, and how his life continued from then on in a whirlwind of fish and chip Fridays, put downs from his older brother, and, of course, Dad’s coveted stories.
A minimalistic set furthers debate over whether we’re supposed to be in Joe’s house, his therapist’s room, or perhaps his prison cell.
The play is well written and carefully put together. A minimalistic set furthers debate over whether we’re supposed to be in Joe’s house, his therapist’s room, or perhaps his prison cell. The question is left unanswered, adding to a sense of unease and displacement. Joe seems unable to fit in a particular time period. He wears a hoodie and talks about changing his Facebook status, yet describes how “Mam” always used to have Dad’s tea on the table and how he was the “runt of the litter” in a family of big, strong boys. Cementing Joe and his story in a distinct time would certainly have helped him become less of an enigmatic figure. Though perhaps this was Grace’s point; to allow Joe the freedom in his storytelling that he never managed to achieve in life.
The play’s most impressive part is Luke Adamson’s portrayal of Joe, a performance fraught with raw emotion and delicate subtleties. His retelling of how he was beaten up one Friday evening is a particularly poignant moment. As he stands alone in front of the audience, he tries to joke about how how his attackers ensured they hit every inch of him to ensure parts of his body didn’t feel “left out”. His tragic vulnerability is so palpable the entire audience was silenced into sympathy. It is moments of truth like this that made Rabbitskin so successful. Speaking to Grace after the performance, he describes how he wanted to make audiences feel something “deliberately visceral and emotional. I wanted them to feel like they’ve lived through something difficult, along with the main character.” So although we are left feeling a little unsure of the point being made at the play’s somewhat throwaway ending, we are taken on such an emotional journey by Joe. Rabbitskin has achieved all it set out to and more.
Rose Collard