Rabbit Hole at Ringgold Playhouse

This weekend the Ringgold Playhouse closes their production of Rabbit Hole, a moving drama following the daily struggles of a couple dealing with the loss of their young child.

The cast is led by TRP veterans Laurie Shaw and Timothy Shields, both of whom deliver powerful performances with emotional depth that are poignant and touching in how they deal with the play’s tender subject matter.

The play is written by David Lindsay-Adaire and was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007. The play deals with the how the couple, Becca and Howie, deal with the loss of their small child. The couple strive to not place blame  or guilt on each other for what happened while attempting to achieve normalcy in their daily life. The play also shows how Jason, a 17 year old who was the one who accidentally hit their son, comes to terms for his own responsibility in the tragedy that ripped a family apart.

The strongest aspect of this performance was the subtlety and nuanced treatment of a subject matter which holds real emotional depth. It would be easy to turn the subject into a stereotype with extreme conventions. Instead the story shows the reality of loss in a way that is touching in its relatability. The characters are ones that you as an audience are able to easily identify with. This draws you in to the story in a way that provokes a meaningful conversation of how we are all affected by loss and how to pick up the pieces from a heartbreaking tragedy.

The cast is amazingly talented and it truly shows that they understood the emotional depth that Rabbit Hole contains.

“It has a lot of heart and a stellar cast,” said Adam Cook, TRP’s executive director, who is also directing this play. “We have a reputation and a standard of producing quality work here, and this show has taken us to a new level. It’s some of the best acting we’ve ever had on our stage.”