FringeReview Scotland 2025
Bunny
Craig Manson presented as part of Buzzcut double thrills
Genre: Cabaret, character comedy, Dark Comedy
Venue: Centre for the Contemporary Arts
Festival: FringeReview Scotland
Low Down
This is the wildly absurd yet understandable story of how one actor has managed to do away with all of the competition including the iconic Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy and the Artistic Director of three60 is just sumptuous. Directed with one eye on the theatricality required for solo performance, this dazzles brighter than the dress. Technically the balance between the music and songs rewritten in order to fit the narrative sparkle in a stripped back performance space but with sufficient space to allow only one diva to dance fantastic.
Review
This darkly comic and highly original niche take on a serial killer was just sublime. The idea that a struggling actor unable to get through the funding processes of the administrative nightmare that is any form of application take out their competition was inspired. On top of that taking the artistic director of three60 before then going from that level of in joke to the James McAvoy and Tilda Swinton despatches allows those of us in the know to hang on to every word, whilst those who have no idea will have some form of name recognition.
The audience were heavily insiders and people who happen to be interested in an avant-garde art form, and whilst the general population, up till now, may be denied the joy of Bunny and Manson’s strong understanding of theatricality Bunny could transcend, this is a character that has legs – metaphorically and literally.
I sat imagining Bunny in so many other milieu or career pathways. I was considering whether they would be able to make it as a beauty therapist or a hairdresser or athlete. Could they take their ambition into areas where the character continues to have such slick sick thinking and still charm their way out of trouble?
But would that be a step too far because the very genius that makes Bunny work, is their theatricality.
Manson has the ability to transcend drag, to bring something new with it. They have the pipes on them to sing standards and do pop songs brilliantly well. His wit underlying the rewriting of these songs to match the narrative is clear and obvious.
But it is that acting ability that allows us to see something new. Something that is not just in a tradition but delivering something new. There is something avant-garde, something different. Bunny brings us something more and the passion that’s underpinned by disappointment is clearly a new experience, seeping out of every sequined pore but also throbbing in every vein. It was a delight to behold.
There were some issues in terms of just being in control of the urge to perform and respond to the audience with some sections, a little under rehearsed, like they had not rehearsed in the space enough, but the personality had such confidence, you relaxed, sat back and felt this was daring enough to set a new agenda.
Perhaps in a less comfortable arts industry focused audience Bunny would have a little bit of a challenge but the confidence I think that Manson should have and indeed should bring along with Bunny who has bags of it would transcend that. I think there is an audience for work like this, which challenges people’s perception of performance art. This comic dark tale may not have the solution to what you should do when you are rejected however what it does have is the absurdity of life, if you got away with it.
Now she’s done away with the whole of Creative Scotland I wonder what’s next and I can’t wait to find out.
