Bunny

Underbelly
5 – 29 August, 14.10

Katie is an intelligent girl from a good family, on the surface, in control, confident and sexually mature but underneath, a mass of self-doubt and anxiety. Abe, her older boyfriend is ‘disrespected’ by an Asian teenager in a meaningless pavement scuffle and Katie is caught up in the hunt to find him and extract revenge. Initially, Katie is a willing participant but as the disproportionate manhunt escalates, we see that she isn’t as sure of herself or of the situation.
 
Jack Thorne writes for Skins and his one-woman play has a similar edginess and streetwise feel. His writing is focussed and authentic sounding. The production successfully uses
cartoon-like projections, which help move the story along and give it a sense of place.

The Katie, who allows herself to be abused by men is at odds with the Katie who studies, plays the clarinet and is part of a loving, middle-class family. Like many families, if you scratch the surface, you find unpleasantness. There is something in Katie’s story that makes you feel her behaviour is the result of some unspoken trauma.

As Katie, Rosie Wyatt, gives a terrific performance, especially as the bravado and bluster give way to glimpses of self-doubt and a real vulnerability. A well–written, beautifully acted 60 minute drama.