Steel Beam's 'Rabbit Hole' could dig a little deeper
A lot of critics have taken David Lindsay-Abaire's 2006 drama "Rabbit Hole" to task for having too much of a "TV Movie of the Week" feel about it. And when compared with his more wacky works like "Wonder of the World" and "Fuddy Meers," "Rabbit Hole" is downright staid and conventional.
But on its own terms, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play is an insightful examination of the grief an extended family suffers not long after the accidental death of a 4-year-old named Danny. How, and if, the family can move forward is what drives Lindsay-Abaire's characters.
Steel Beam Theatre's "Rabbit Hole" follows major productions of the play at the Goodman Theatre in 2007, and in 2008 via Buffalo Theatre Ensemble in Glen Ellyn. (Interestingly enough, a second Glen Ellyn "Rabbit Hole" production opens this weekend courtesy of Village Theatre Guild.)
Steel Beam's efforts are certainly solid, though there are some minor qualms to consider.
The parents at the center of "Rabbit Hole" are mother Becca (Kelly Hilliard Roush) and father Howie (Dennis Edwards). Each deals with grief differently, which causes most of the conflict.
Becca systematically removes all traces of Danny from the house so she won't be confronted by his memory, and she has reasons for refusing to go to therapy support groups. Howie, on the other hand, still watches home videos of Danny behind Becca's back, and still loves their dog, Taz, which was inadvertently involved in Danny's death.
Then there's Becca's amusingly irresponsible sister, Izzy (Ann Keen), who has some surprising news, and her mother Nat (Terri Pena Ross), who doesn't intentionally try to get on her daughter's nerves, but always succeeds anyway.
Pretty much each of the characters has a cloud of "If only I didn't" second thoughts hovering over their heads regarding Danny's death. And when these concerns get voiced, it's interesting to see if other family members opt to hurl them back in a futile blame game.
So when Jason (Bubba Weiler), the teenager who struck Danny while driving, tries to make contact with the family, all bets are off on how the family reacts.
When these big emotional moments bubble up, director Donna Steele errs on the side of caution. It's a safe and wise choice when things could be pushed too hard if overplayed. But at the same time, the actors could turn things up a slight notch without it feeling overdone.
Roush's Becca could show a bit more simmering anger and despair underneath her vigorously maintained placid exterior, while Ross' sometimes clueless mother Nat could bring out more annoying vocal traits to show just why she rubs her daughters the wrong way.
Right now, Keen's Izzy, Edwards' Howie and Weiler's Jason are consistently striking the exact naturalistic and dramatic notes needed for their characters.
Production wise, Joe Pietrie's functional set design of a suburban home is good. Some may question why there is no music to link scenes between blackouts, or Steel Beam's decision to relocate the play's setting from the New York commuter suburb of Larchmont to somewhere in Chicago's Western suburbs (Naperville and North Central College both get incorporated into the dialogue).
"Rabbit Hole's" incisive exploration of how a family reacts when a child is unexpectedly torn away is unquestionably powerful and touching. Though there's room for the performances in Steel Beam's "Rabbit Hole" to be fleshed out a tad more, what's already there serves Lindsay-Abaire's drama nicely.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Rabbit Hole</p>
<p class="News">2Y stars</p>
<p class="News"><b>Location:</b> Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles; (630) 587-8521 or <a href="http://steelbeamtheatre.com" target="new">steelbeamtheatre.com</a> </p>
<p class="News"><b>Showtimes:</b> 1 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Sunday, Feb. 7</p>
<p class="News"><b>Running time:</b> About one hour, 50 minutes with intermission </p>
<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $23-$25</p>
<p class="News"><b>Parking:</b> Street parking </p>
<p class="News"><b>Rating:</b> For teens and older</p>