“Rabbit Hole” is an emotionally-charged play which opens April 11 at Salt Lake Community College’s Black Box Theatre on the South City Campus.
“Rabbit Hole” begins with an unusual exchange between sisters Izzy and Becca, which includes Becca folding a child’s clothes. As the play progresses, the audience learns that Becca’s child was killed in an accident eight months earlier.
Anyone interested in psychology and human behavior is encouraged to go see this play. The entire cast does very well providing the different perspectives of coping with the death of a child, bringing to life people who never make an appearance on stage.
The best performance of the evening goes to Austin Grant as Jason, the driver responsible for killing Becca’s son. He really connects with the audience on an emotional level as he reads a letter he wrote to to Becca and her husband Howie. Jason’s movements portray an unsure, sad teenager who doesn’t know how to atone for his mistake.
Susan Barry holds the play together as the grieving mother. She seems to be on stage the entire time, though she isn’t. Barry also has the most amazing moment on stage when the audience can see her turning point. It isn’t carried through the words of the author, but rather through Barry’s acting skill.
Andrew W. Johnson gives Howie emotional depth, providing some comic relief and spending quiet moments appropriately. Johnson runs the gamut from anger to reconciliation and it all flows naturally from what Howie is feeling.
The music and sound help to set the mood for the play, opening with an unsettling cello and violin duet that seems to have a touch of industrial added in. The closing sounds also accentuate the mood.
“Rabbit Hole” is a Pulitzer Prize winning drama with adult themes, language and alcohol use. Those offended by a few swear words should think twice before going and then go anyway.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. from April 11-14 and from April 18-21 at the Black Box Theatre on South City Campus. Students get in free with valid student identification. Faculty and staff tickets are $5 and the general public can get tickets for $10. The play lasts about two hours including a ten minute intermission that sneaks up on the audience.
