TheaterWorks’ production of "The Rabbit Hole" a sensitive study of loss and hope


HARTFORD - We live in a world that would probably like to eradicate death, along with loss and sadness. And with all that modern science and medicine can do, our lives today are epically improved over those who lived even a generation ago.
Still, there are probably few things more horrid or devastating than experiencing the sudden loss of a child. "The Rabbit Hole," a 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire, begins eight months after a four-year-old boy tragically dies chasing his dog into the street and is accidentally hit by a car driven by a 17-year-old boy.
The mother of the four-year-old, Becca, is a perfectionist homemaker, played by Erika Rolfsrud, who has a striking resemblance to the actor Reese Witherspoon. Her younger sister, Izzy, played with humor by Joey Parsons, is the bad girl who hangs out in bars, and whose life is as messy as Becca’s is hyper-controlled.
"How can you get fired from Applebee’s?" Becca asks Izzy in dismay, to which Izzy dismisses vaguely, saying; "It was all politics."
Becca’s husband Howie is played believably by Dylan Chalfy. Howie is attempting to cope with his son’s death by attending grief groups with other parents, but Becca finds no comfort in comparing notes with others. The "it was meant to be" philosophy leaves her flat.
Jo Twiss plays Nat, the down-to-earth mother of Becca and Izzy, with a refreshing unsophisticated frankness. Nat’s discussion with the family about the hubris and curse of the Kennedy clan is amusing, despite the recent Ted Kennedy cancer diagnosis.
It gives the play’s heavy theme some much-needed comic relief, at one point Nat says; "All those good-looking people falling out of the skies" is a shame.
Twiss’ Nat has her own long-term loss to cope with. She lost a grown drug-addicted son to suicide, which comes it’s own compendium of baggage. She tells Becca that time changes grief. "It changes-the weight of it. Like a brick in your pocket. It’s what you have instead of your son," she says.
Then there is the guilt and tragedy of the 17-year-old boy, Jason, who accidentally killed the child. Played with sensitively by Alec Silberblatt - his own private torment and confession are devastating and heartbreaking.
The combination kitchen and living room set, plus the child’s bedroom, designed by Luke Hegel-Cantarella, looks right out of a Pottery Barn catalog, complete with white wainscoting and a glass bowl filled with lemons on the granite countertop - just the kind of place one would imagine eating crème brulee and lemon squares, which they do.
In the end, "The Rabbit Hole" isn’t just about loss, but the courage to choose life, and the willingness to moving forward with forgiveness, compassion, and love.

THE RABBIT HOLE

Three Stars
Theater: TheaterWorks
Location: 233 Pearl St. Hartford.
Production: By David Lindsay-Abaire. Directed by Rob Ruggiero. Set design by Luke Hegel-Cantarella. Lighting design by John Lasiter. Costume design by Anne Kenney. Sound design by Vincent Olivieri.
Running time: Two hours, one intermission
Show Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays - 8 p.m. Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays - 2:30 p.m. Extra Sunday evening shows - 7:30 p.m. The show will run through July 20.
Tickets: Unassigned seating is $37; $47 on Friday and Saturday nights. Center reserved seats $11 extra. $10 student rush tickets at showtime with valid ID (subject to availability). For tickets call 527-7838 or visit their Web site at www.theaterworks.org.

ACTOR…CHARACTER

Erika Rolfsrud ... Becca
Dylan Chalfy ... Howie
Joey Parsons ... Izzy
Jo Twiss ... Nat
Alec Silberblatt ... Jason