Presented by Farah Ashraf and NAZAR Arts, Little Stitch Productions

Review by Dominic Corr

Daisy at Underbelly, Bristo Square

Navigating the friction between familial duty and personal liberation is a familiar theatrical troupe. Yet Farah Ashraf’s Pink Rabbit approaches the terrain with a quick, vibrant, and refreshingly candid energy. Written and performed by Ashraf, this solo piece offers a nuanced coming-of-age narrative that dissects intergenerational friction, digital intimacy, and cultural expectation without resorting to easy stereotypes.

The narrative centres on eighteen-year-old Amna, a young British Muslim woman caught between the high hopes of her protective single mother and the lure of financial independence. Seeking an escape from domestic constraints and financial limitations, she adopts an online persona, entering the world of digital adult content creation. What begins as a lucrative outlet for rebellion soon complicates her understanding of autonomy, consent, and performance.

Where the piece occasionally wobbles is in its pacing toward the finale. Having established a complex web of emotional and ethical dilemmas, the closing sequence feels somewhat hurried, leaving a few compelling narrative threads underdeveloped. The production’s rich themes of digital transnationalism and identity could easily accommodate further dramatic exploration.

Ashraf delivers a powerhouse central performance, switching fluidly between the naive enthusiasm of youth and the exaggerated personas required by her online subscribers. Her portrayal of Amna’s mother is handled with remarkable empathy; rather than reducing the older woman to a rigid antagonist, the text frames her strictness as a fierce, albeit overbearing, form of love forged through her own sacrifices. Under Alessandro Babalola’s slick direction, the production makes excellent use of a modest staging setup, relying on Ashraf’s expressive physicality and sharp dialogue to build a vivid world.

Pink Rabbit stands as an impressive, highly engaging showcase for Ashraf’s talents as both writer and performer. Smart, empathetic, and thoroughly contemporary, it marks the arrival of a distinctive voice in contemporary theatre.

---