Nassim Soleimanpour’s solo play *White Rabbit Red Rabbit* marked its 15th anniversary with a return to the stage, continuing to challenge and engage audiences through its unique, unrehearsed format. The production, which has featured a diverse array of performers including David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker, and Riz Ahmed, relies on a simple yet compelling setup: a single actor enters the stage with a sealed envelope containing an unknown script, a chair, a table, two glasses of water, and a mystery object, and performs the 70-minute piece without prior rehearsal.

The play’s enduring appeal lies in its interactive nature and its exploration of weighty themes such as authority, obedience, complicity, ambition, and envy, all woven within a deceptively light and playful framework. Audience participation is a core element, with the actor guiding the viewers through reflections on power dynamics, often through humor and seemingly childlike questions, prompting self-examination among the spectators.

Soleimanpour, the Iranian playwright, created the work while living in Shiraz, unable to leave his country due to travel restrictions imposed by its repressive regime. This context infuses the play with a palpable undercurrent of confinement and surveillance, as Soleimanpour describes a reality where police are ever-present at cultural venues. The playwright communicates directly to the audience via his onstage proxy, urging them to send him photographs of life outside Iran, glimpses of a world inaccessible to him.

At the West End performance observed recently, Tennant’s spontaneous engagement with the script highlighted the show’s demand for genuine immediacy and presence, underscoring the actor’s responsiveness despite the blindfolded nature of the role. The experience prompts reflection on the privilege of creative freedom enjoyed in the West, contrasting sharply with artistic censorship faced in places like Iran.

A notable aspect of the play is its meditation on time and artistic process. Soleimanpour imagines future audiences’ reactions as an evolving part of the work, suggesting that each performance is influenced by the moment in which it is presented, thereby linking the creator, performer, and audience across different points in time.

An unexpected twist toward the end of the performance deepened audience engagement by dividing participants metaphorically into “white” or “red” rabbits, reinforcing the play’s themes of division and identity. Responses to the show vary with each actor and crowd, but its longevity and continued appeal demonstrate a powerful connection with audiences, particularly among younger theatergoers who often leave animated and eager to debate the ideas presented.