PlayReview Rabbit Hole

Play Review: Rabbit Hole
Down a dark twisted tunnel
Review and photos by Dawne Belloise

I had gone to the dress rehearsal of Rabbit Hole only to take photographs but found the story and the performance so riveting that I couldn't leave. And when I did exit, it was with a head full of complex emotions. When reality hits in the way of tragedy it causes a warp in the fabric. Tragedy pulls at the very threads of our emotions, unraveling the substance of our lives. It holds a mirror up, our image reflected back through the others' reactions. Rabbit Hole rips the world asunder, rays of humor occasionally filtering through, with an all too close to home misfortune. It is this common bond we all share, though its effects are differently recorded in each of us.

The story evolves around the death of 4-year old Danny, who chases his dog into the street and is killed by a teenage driver. The difficulty of coping for the family and their friends seems insurmountable at times – the “what ifs,” guilt, remorse, blame, anger and grief explode into what used to be daily routines. Danny's mother, Becca (Tricia Seeberg) and father, Howie (Perry Lewis) deal with and express their grief differently, which strains their relationship. Once a successful business woman, Becca joyfully redefined herself when she became a mother – and without that, her foundation shaken and cracked, the void leaves her resentful, snippy, lost and unloving. Howie continues to attend bereavement groups, trying to reach out to his alienating wife and carve some semblance of a supportive life together. But each time, Becca shuns his attempts at closeness, pushing herself further into the emptiness that envelopes their world.

Danny's Aunt Izzy (Genevieve Bachman), a wild bar-party girl with hot pink hair streaks, unintentionally exacerbates the already tense emotional situation in the opening scene by announcing her pregnancy and that she’s punched out the father’s ex-girlfriend in a bar sprawl. Becca seriously questions the irresponsible Izzy's mothering abilities. However, Izzy is excited about the prospect of motherhood and welcomes the changes a child will bring.

Danny's grandmother, Nat (Adele Bachman) tries to make a point of how people need an explanation, a reason why, when tragedy strikes. Using the example of the supposedly “cursed Kennedys” she says, it wasn't a curse just rich people doing stupid things. The point is lost in her verbal meanderings, making the scene somewhat comically lighter.

Jason (Jeff Hargrove) is the remorseful teenager who unfortunately struck Danny while trying to miss the running dog. Not expecting absolution, just wanting his guilt to be heard, he writes Becca and Howie a letter explaining that he has composed a science fiction story, dedicated to Danny, about parallel universes, indicating unlimited possibilities in that opposite realm. But when Jason pops up unannounced the ensuing disruption is heartbreaking. Facing the killer of their child brings forth outbursts and surprising reactions in the distressed parents. When Becca later decides to meet with Jason, there's an uneasy tenderness displayed which appears to be both her emotional undoing, as well as revelation paving the way for healing.

The story weaves in and out of laughable moments, pain and the dissolving and eventual rebuilding of relationships, but holds strong family bonds during the continual grieving, as life and time readjusts and redefines. As emotionally intense as this production is, the actors are equally convincing, giving one of the most heartfelt, realistic portrayals of an agonizing family and their disintegrating world. They capture rage, forgiveness, wrenching sorrow and coming to terms.

As Howie watches a video of Danny and himself playing a game, or the heart rendering scene (that turned me into a faucet) of his break down as he realizes Becca is purging the house of all evidence of Danny, Perry Lewis is extraordinary is his role and his acting. It is one of the best performances ever witnessed in community theatre – professional, sincere and so very moving.

Tricia Seeburg as Becca has every element of cold and withholding, judgmental, and meticulous housewife down pat (this cast gets to eat a lot of homemade sweets), but it is her portrayal of the underlying sensitivity, and how she brings it forth through the unbearable suffering that makes her performance so outstanding. Tricia makes you wince when she bristles with anger and impatience but moves emotions to your throat when she opens to the idea that she could be happy in another life in a parallel universe as she gently, forgivingly chats with Jason and starts to pick up the pieces of the shattered life around her.

Genevieve Bachman plays well the roll of ditsy, wild child sister Izzy, and evolves it into a responsible, caring mother-to-be. Deftly spinning the temperament of a caring sibling used to acquiescing to her grieving sister, Genevieve stands up with tactfulness to Howie in an accusatory conversation about infidelity.

Adele Bachman is so endearing as Nat, still suffering from the loss of her son even if he was a heroin addict, “He's still my son,” she pleads to Becca's continual denial of comparison. Dealing with the loss of her grandson, Danny, she sees with clarity the hardship and its effects on her family. It's been quite a while that Adel has graced the Mountain Theatre stage and it is truly a pleasure to see her in action again.

Jeff Hargrove, a veteran to the stage in his young years, is certainly recalling from school days the nervous, remorseful demeanor of a teenager seeking to be heard... but when he sits on the couch as a tense and uncomfortable Jason, listening to Becca wail, and not knowing what to do, the language of silence tells us all we need to know.

Written by David Lindsey-Abaire, Rabbit Hole won the Pulitzer Prize for the playwright in 2007. Director Paul Edwards expertly cast and drove this production to excellence. “What endears me to this play is that it finds the comedy in even the darkest moments of human life,” Paul commented. As a theater director at Western State College in Gunnison and executive director at the Gunnison Arts Center, this is Paul's third production with Crested Butte Mountain Theatre. Kudos and many thanks to the crew in black in the background who helped make this show: stage manager Shelley Dunn; costumes and props, Julia Edwards; lighting, Kelly Jensen who also helped Kevin Sack with sound; and set design by Barbara Mason, Gene Mason and Scott Hargrove.

Get out and see this poignant production as it will be one of the best of the year. It only has 3 runs left so don't miss out: Thursday, February 26, Friday, 27 and Saturday, 28, with show times at 7:30 p.m. Call the CB Mountain Theatre for reservations at 970-349-0366.

Dawne Belloise is a freelance writer, photographer, traveler for various mags and rags. She is also the Associate Editor for the CB Weekly. Contact her at dbelloise@gmail.com or follow the adventures from her blog rubysroad.com