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Rabbit Hole - React Theatre (Review)
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ReAct presents the Seattle Premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize winning Rabbit Hole
Rabbit Hole is the story of a family’s grief at the loss of a child, and its journey toward acceptance. According to ReAct director David Hseih, “using equal doses of humor and candor, this masterpiece is a refreshingly honest look at domestic tragedy and the healing power of love and family . . . a life-affirming testament to the endurance of the human spirit.”
ReAct’s production delivers its message in a sensitive and humorous way, as indeed it must. The roles are clearly challenging, and for the most part the actors met that challenge. Kelly Hyde and Gordon Hendrickson play Becca and Howie Corbett, who have recently lost their four-year-old son Danny in a tragic accident. Ellen Dessler plays Becca’s ditzy sister Izzy, and Walayn Sharples plays Nat, Becca and Izzy’s mom. Alex Adisorn is Jason Willette, the unfortunate young man who played a key role in Danny’s death.
Rabbit Hole is the story of a family’s grief at the loss of a child, and its journey toward acceptance. According to ReAct director David Hseih, “using equal doses of humor and candor, this masterpiece is a refreshingly honest look at domestic tragedy and the healing power of love and family . . . a life-affirming testament to the endurance of the human spirit.” ReAct’s production delivers its message in a sensitive and humorous way, as indeed it must. The roles are clearly challenging, and for the most part the actors met that challenge. Kelly Hyde and Gordon Hendrickson play Becca and Howie Corbett, who have recently lost their four-year-old son Danny in a tragic accident. Ellen Dessler plays Becca’s ditzy sister Izzy, and Walayn Sharples plays Nat, Becca and Izzy’s mom. Alex Adisorn is Jason Willette, the unfortunate young man who played a key role in Danny’s death.
Hendrickson and Sharples delivered nearly flawless and very convincing performances. Sharples in particular is obviously at home on the stage. Dessler provided much of the flamboyant comic relief necessary in a story involving such heavy subject matter, but at the same time managed to convey Izzy’s sensitivity. Hyde’s portrayal of Becca was a bit one-dimensional: although she did an excellent job of conveying a woman dealing with unbearable pain, her iciness made it difficult to relate to her character. The moments where she finally releases some of that pain (in particular the key scene with Adisorn where she finally begins to face her feelings) are fleeting, and the ice queen quickly returns—to the point where you wonder why Howie continues to put up with her.
Still, this is a powerful story. If you’ve never experienced unspeakable loss, you wonder how you would deal with it, and you begin to see the choices to be made, and the healing power of love among those left behind. The rabbit hole of the title symbolizes infinite possibilities. The story gives us one version while letting us see that there could be others—the choice is ours.
Rabbit Hole runs from May 1, 2009-May 31, 2009, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm, at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Avenue, Seattle. For more information and tickets call (206) 364-3283 or visit http://www.reacttheatre.org.
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