The death of a child is a profoundly troubling event. For the grieving parents, especially, the heartache of loss is compounded by the deeply unnatural experience of outliving one’s offspring. The younger the child is when they pass, and the more unexpected the death, the more aberrant the experience will seem. The Theatre Group at SBCC explores this theme in the final play of its 2016-2017 season: Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsey-Abaire, is about a devastated couple’s journey forward after the accidental death of their young son.
Rabbit Hole is a strong choice for the Theatre Group’s final production. It won the Pulitzer in 2007, and the Broadway production was nominated for five Tony awards. Director Katie Laris described the play as having language with a musical quality and character arcs that are subtle yet powerful. The Theatre Groups’s production is staged in the more intimate Jurkowitz Theatre space, offering the potential for close connection between the audience and the small but strong cast.
Leslie Gangl Howe and Paul Canter play Becca and Howie, the heartbroken parents whose dissimilar processes of coping with the loss put them at painful odds as they try to work through the ache of an empty home and move forward with their lives. While Becca takes measures to avoid reminders of their son (she sells the house, wants to get rid of the dog, and removes mementos of her son from their living space), Howie immerses himself in photos and videos of his son. Becca can’t cope with living in the past, but Howie isn’t ready to move ahead. Laris, who has worked with both Canter and Gangl Howe on previous projects, describes the actors as having the ability to portray intelligent humor and genuine warmth (despite the sadness of the play’s premise) without losing the integrity of the character.