Michael Shaw Fisher’s ambitious and controversial The Amazing Sex Life of Rabbits, which received critical acclaim during its run at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in California, makes its way to New York City for its Off-Broadway premiere as part of the SoHo Playhouse International Fringe Encore Series. The production will run until March 28, 2026.
This is a fun and thought-provoking exploration of how money complicates intimacy, catering to theatergoers who enjoy dark, relationship-driven comedies and are comfortable with explicit sexual themes.
The plot centers around a high-stakes dinner between two contrasting couples:
Bobby and Elise: A financially struggling couple living in a modest apartment with a collegiate futon.
Danielle and Carson: Bobby’s ex-wife, a successful sex therapist, and her billionaire fitness guru husband.
What begins as an awkward reunion quickly escalates into a “21st-century class war”when the wealthy couple presents a provocative proposition: they offer Bobby and Elise $20 million if Bobby agrees to impregnate Danielle while Carson observes.
The evening spirals into a series of power plays involving knife-fighting tongues, sexual tension, and moral negotiation. The play is a high-energy romp, and the actors’ comedic timing is impeccable.
Standout performance is Richardson Cisneros-Jones, who delivers a remarkable portrayal of Carson. His ego-inflated portrayal brings a jackhammer laugh and casual douhebagery that carries the show’s humor. This play is a raunchy, modern-day homage to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
While the dialogue is often witty and sharp, the characters are somewhat shallow, and the outrageous premise is a bit far-fetched.
However, this works to the play’s advantage, no one escapes unscathed and it’s a remarkable achievement that keeps you engaged. The ending however lacks a satisfying conclusion but its intriguing twists lays the groundwork for a sequel.
The title of the play refers to both a literal stuffed rabbit that Elise holds and the frenzied, “bunnylike” orgy scene, symbolizing the simplicity of animalistic desire compared to the complexity of human greed.
Interestingly, bunnies are naturally exhibitionist creatures, and this is clearly evident in the well named play. The Amazing Sex Life of Rabbits is a quite the trip down the rabbit hole. Pun intended!
Production Details:
– The play has a run time of approximately 75 minutes without an intermission.
– Tickets are generally priced around $45 through the SoHo Playhouse website.
– The creative team includes Michael Shaw Fisher as the writer and director, with lighting by Charlie Kilgore and sound design featuring tracks by Marvin Gaye.
Michael Shaw Fisher (writer/director), recently performed his Original Rock Musical, EXORCISTIC, at Asylum NYC. It won the Drama Critic Circle Award for Best Lyrics and Music for its Los Angeles run. He also won the Ovation Award for Best Lyrics and Music for SKULLDUGGERY: the Musical Prequel to Hamlet (2017) and Best Book of an Original Musical for SHAKESPEARE’S LAST NIGHT OUT (2015), which he revived at GeniusFEST. Recently, he published his debut novel, The Town and the Fury!, and premiered his new play, THE AMAZING SEX LIFE OF RABBITS, at Hollywood Fringe to rave reviews and nominations. The play won the Encore Award from Soho Playhouse.
Schoen Hodges (Bobby)hailing from Santa Cruz, California, graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in Theater Television Communications. His acting credits include numerous short films, national commercials, and appearances in popular TV shows like CSI:NY and Criminal Minds. Recently, he starred in the horror comedy feature “Road Head,” which is now streaming on Tubi.
Leigh Wulff (Elise) a talented performer, is thrilled to be performing her 8th show, which she wrote herself. Her previous works include Doomsday Cabaret, Werewolves of Hollywood Blvd, Exorcistic, Skullduggery, Whose Afraid of David Lynch, and Midsummer Nightmare. She’s particularly excited about joining The Amazing Sex Life of Rabbits, where she’ll be working with a cast she loves and a director she enjoys collaborating with.
Rebecca Larsen (Danielle), is an accomplished actress, writer, and director based in Los Angeles. Before pursuing her acting career, she was a pre-med student and an avid improv enthusiast. She transferred to the actor training program at the University of Utah and later moved to Southern California.
Recently seen in Open Fist’s Bat Boy, Rebecca directed and starred in Three Guys, One Groupon, which won best comedy at the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival. She also premiered her short, “Hey, Esther?”, at the Dances With Films Festival.
Los Angeles Theater Credits:
– Different Words For The Same Thing (CTG At The Kirk Douglas Theater)
– Pocatello (Rogue Machine Theater Skullduggery, Occupation, Watson, La Bete, Forbidden Zone (Sacred Fools))
– Wreck of the Unfathomable, A Mulholland Christmas Carol (Theatre Of Note)
Television: Masters of Sex, Desperate Housewives, The Exes, House MD, Firsts, Veronica Mars
Feature Films: Scream Of The Bikini, Justify, Have you seen Me?, Let’s Ruin It With Babies, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, All I Want, Pretty Problems
Richardson Cisneros-Jones (Carson) (He/him) was last seen in EXORCISTIC at Asylum NYC in three different roles as he is the busiest Swing in the history of Off Broadway! Before that the workshop production of Fisher’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE with Sacred Fools. Recent credits include THE RABBIT QUEEN at last year’s Fringe, and A NEW BRAIN and THE PRODUCERS for Celebration Theatre where he is a company member. Film and TV credits include Kevin Hart: What Now? (Universal) Masters of Sex, The Affair (Showtime), Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (Netflix), Fresh Off the Boat (ABC), SEAL Team (CBS), and Hacks (MAX). Fordham (B.A.), American Conservatory Theater (M.F.A.) Excited to reprise the role he originated last summer in THE AMAZING SEX LIFE OF RABBITS at Soho Playhouse!
Photo credit: Molly Murphy Weinberg
