"Rabbit Hole": ReAct tells sad tale without melodrama

Theater Review |

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire decided to write about the most frightening thing he could imagine — the horrifying possibility of losing one's child. With "Rabbit Hole," he's done it with such finesse, such grace, that the audience, though deeply moved, isn't maneuvered into the emotional slop bucket found in soap operas. Lindsay-Abaire even inserts crackling humor within his script. And ReAct Theatre's production of his Pulitzer Prize-winning play is elegant, tight and superbly acted.

Kelly Hyde gives a nuanced performance as Becca, the grieving mother. We see her close in on herself as she walks through the motions of daily life, erasing the reminders of her little boy.

Gordon Hendrickson as husband Howie skillfully displays another mode of mourning. He wants the child's photos in place. He longs to get back the dog that Danny chased into the road on that fateful day. Most of all he needs to watch and rewatch a final video of his lost son. Both actors command empathy and evoke sadness as we see them draw apart rather than together in facing this tragedy.

Their seemingly futile attempt to regain normalcy is made even more difficult by the presence of Becca's mother and sister. Walayn Sharples smartly handles all the contradictions found in the mother whose foot spends more time in her mouth than on the floor. Ellen Dessler makes kooky sister Izzy as irritating as she is lovable. Prone to making stupid choices, Izzy often has the wisest words of all.

Alex Adisorn rounds out the cast in a fine portrayal of the unfortunate teenager whose car killed Danny. Each one of these characters harbors guilt about the death. The sophistication of each performance and the manner in which they so neatly mesh is testament to the skillful direction of David Hsieh.

Good play. Good production. Good theater.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net