Review by anonymous
June 21, 2024 certified reviewerWhat I liked
I really liked the cast, I thought they did a great job with the material that they were given – and there were some great vocal performances in there.
The staging was interesting and dynamic, making use of a very flat space and minimalist set pieces to clearly establish a variety of different locations.
Some of the songs were catchy, and the villain performers all really committed to their characters (more to come about the villains)
There is a lot of potential here, and I agree with the Monty Python comparisons – i think it just needs some work to fully get there.
What I didn't like
My first red flag with this show is when all of the villains were presented as hyper-sexual, drug using, queer men/male-presenting people. The jokes about orgies and cocaine were incredibly misguided. These are rooted in homophobic stereotypes that, especially now, are used to push the rising anti-queer agenda that is sweeping several states.
Equality and solidarity go hand-in-hand. Rabbit Queen attempts to be a feminist work, while tearing down other communities.
While some songs were catchy, the show lacked clear musical themes and lyrical motifs. Actors would often stand and wait for songs to begin. The music and script felt disconnected – it was never clear WHY the characters were singing (with a song crammed into almost every scene even when it wasn’t needed).
Character development for the protagonist was weak, and she often changed at the drop of the dime because the plot required her to. She wanted to be remembered, but she felt trapped in her marriage, and then fame went to her head, and then suddenly in the next scene, she felt remorse. There were almost too many things happening for the 90 min plot structure, and none of them were fleshed out well. If filling this out to a 2 act musical, narrowing focus will help get to the core of the character.
Overall, i think there is something there with this show – but it needs to be more cautious of the current cultural landscape – and find a way to tell the story in a way that feels geared for the 2020s, not the early 2010s.
My overall impression
Trapped in the standards of “millennial feminism”, Rabbit Queen swings and misses with the point it’s trying to make – but manages to have moments of fun along the way.
