REVIEW: Bunny Bunny at Lion And Unicorn Theatre / Camden Fringe 10 - 12 August 2023

‘A rollicking comedy that never forgets its endearing heart’ ★★★★

Bunny (Nora Kelly Lester) is a modern woman who has more on her plate than she can handle. Brought ever lower by her lack of luck in love, impending motherhood (or just as scary, childlessness) and the world’s insistence that she pay rent, she’s very much at the end of her tether. In a memorable moment Bunny even ridicules the audacity of maintaining an opinion on politics; she simply does not have the time.

Her life is delivered to us in flashes, each comically based around a variety of props that offer as much slapstick as they do an understated outline of her life. There isn’t a narrative here in the traditional sense, but more a run-through of various themes with a character who is quietly letting you in on her messy history, gaining your sympathy while consistency making you laugh.

This is partially achieved through Lester’s excellent crowd work which strikes a perfect balance between being intrusive and a soft touch, getting the audience participating without making them feel like they’ve been forced to – through working with the audience she provoked what were easily the funniest moments of the night.

But when she’s alone and pulled in on herself, Bunny quietly delivers a compelling narrative that mourns for a fading youth while simultaneously bemoaning an arrested development. It’s a remarkable achievement and makes for great theatre. However, while Bunny is highly engaging as a character, she doesn’t really have any development or a journey. On one hand this allows her hi-jinks to always be enjoyable and quite eye-opening in places, but on the other the lack of a coherent story makes it hard for her efforts to stick with you.

Still though there’s never a dull moment and the play is immense fun. Ultimately, in creating Bunny, Lester has succeeded in crafting a rollicking comedy that never forgets its endearing heart.

Bunny Bunny showing at The Lion And Unicorn Theatre 10th, 11th and 12th August 2023

Box office: https://camdenfringe.com/events/bunny-bunny/

Created and performed by Nora Kelly Lester

Reviewed by Harry Conway