White Rabbit Red Rabbit concludes its New York premiere engagement December 19 starring Emmy winner Richard Thomas. The production, which features a new guest star weekly, wraps up its 42-week run at the Westside Theatre.
Nassim Soleimanpour’s monologue play has attracted a stellar rotating cast of performers since it began Off-Broadway March 7. Weekly, a different actor is handed a script—sealed in an envelope—to perform without the help of a director, rehearsals or a set. Those who have tried their hand at the mysterious theatrical experiment include Wayne Brady, Darren Criss, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Short, Bobby Cannavale, Alan Cumming, Cynthia Nixon, Billy Porter, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
The New York premiere is presented by producers Devlin Elliott and Tom Kirdahy.
“We are thrilled to have introduced White Rabbit Red Rabbit to New York audiences, and are gratified that white and red rabbits are now hopping in productions all over the world,” commented Elliott and Kirdahy in a joint statement. The show fully recouped its capitalization costs, and, as previously announced, a portion of the play’s profits were donated to PEN International, an association of writers working to promote literature and defend freedom of expression around the world.
Forbidden to leave his country, Iranian playwright Soleimanpour transcribed his experience of isolation into this unique stage work. The play premiered at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won a series of awards, and has since been translated into 15 different languages and performed globally. “This wildly entertaining and thought-provoking theatrical piece – where no audience can see the same show twice - blends drama, comedy and social experiment,“ describe earlier production notes.
Scroll through photos of Criss, Michael Urie, Ramin Karimloo, and Tony Danza performing White Rabbit Red Rabbit:
