Bunny

Mixing the private and the personal, Daniel Kok and Luke George wed bondage and theatre in Bunny, a show that blurs the division between the performers and their audience. One of the stated goals of Bunny - the bondage term for the person being tied - is to "suspend tension", but the first step is to build it.

The audience files in past a sign that warns the show will run 120 minutes without interval, but that people can freely enter and exit as needed. We take our seats in silence.

There are two layers of seating. The inner is a line of cushions bordering the stage. Those who grabbed a "safe" spot in the outer row aren't nearly exempt from participating and are now perched on mildly uncomfortable high chairs. Any effort to remain aloof becomes both a failure and a hindrance.

Before long, Kok is slowly revolving, suspended from the ceiling, while George binds each of his own legs. A man in the audience ties George's hands behind him ("Tighter please. Tighter"). His trussing complete, George lies in the corner and the silence thickens. We become aware of the insistent hum of the lights. Tension achieved.

"Can we keep him spinning?" It's half order half question. It's a crucial moment, almost a contract. If the audience doesn't consent the show ceases. The end. Eventually someone comes out and give Kok a timid push. "How about some music?" asks George casually. Another audience member presses play on an iPod and Chicago's If You Leave Me Now blasts out, triggering a wave of laughter. Tension suspended.

There are several such moments of sudden release throughout, letting off the pressure just when it starts to become unbearable. With each we are coaxed a little further in, trust growing in equal proportion to willingness. In less capable hands Bunny has the potential to become overwhelming invasive. There are boundaries to trust and consent, and as the level of involvement intensifies there are definite moments of dread that they may be reached or even breached. George and Kok take a mile, but they do it by asking for each inch, navigating delicate terrain with consummate deftness. A possible invasion becomes an invitation, and an exploration of intimacy, power, sexuality and knottery.