A new black comedy tale of marital strife and bunny murder comes to Park Theatre from Joe Hampson, the writer of Skins, The News Quiz & Newsjack who makes his stage writing debut with Rabbits. An exploration of contemporary sexual politics, Rabbits follows the fallout as Frank prepares to save his and Susan’s marriage by taking their pet rabbit to be murdered – by a psychopath.
The production will star Alex Ferns (Legend, The Legend of Tarzan, EastEnders) and David Schaal (The Inbetweeners, The Office), with additional casting to be announced.
When Frank asks a stranger to kill his pet rabbit, it appears to be an isolated act of desperation, mania and warped logic. However, as Frank and Susan delve into their issues and try to repair their spiraling marriage, we see their private lives unravel and the initial bunny slaying takes on a whole new dimension, revealing what is really at the heart of their relationship.
Joe Hampson said: “Since starting out working on shows about teenage relationships and then moving on to write about more mature, complex and irregular ones, the same question always appears: what is it that is keeping these people together? As our collective understanding of sexual politics and the makeup of relationships has taken a dramatic step away from traditional ideas of heteronormative monogamy, it is interesting to question what drives two or more people to intertwine their lives and what it takes to sustain that commitment, whatever form the relationship takes.”
Rabbits is directed by Sadie Spencer and will be at The Park Theatre 26th July – 19th August 2017.
