Spinning Plates Co. returns to fortyfivedownstairs with RHINOCEROS by Eugene Ionesco, in a new version by Zinnie Harris. This marks the second instalment in the company’s Beast Trilogy following 2023’s wildly successful production of THE CROCODILE.

One sunny day in a quaint provincial square, Berenger and Jean have arranged to meet at a café before the town is thrown into chaos when, one by one, its residents begin transforming into Rhinoceroses.

Ionesco’s absurdist cult classic locks horns with conformity and responsibility at the end of the world, brought stampeding into the twenty-first century by the acerbic pen of Zinnie Harris.

REVIEWS FOR THE CROCODILE

★★★★½ “Director Cassandra Fumi has drawn together an inspired harlequinade: every element of stagecraft merges with guillotine-sharp synergy… The actors are hilarious, and extremely skilled.” Cameron Woodhead, The Age 

★★★★½ “a stylish, enjoyable, accessible and contemporary take on our moment, which resonates into the past… if you want to step through the looking glass into all the delights Melbourne theatre has to offer, you couldn’t find a better place to start.” Vanessa Francesca, Arts Hub