Rabbit Hole -- by David Lindsay-Abaire (2007)

Description

Here is Playbill.com's summary of the play: "David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores the grieving process of a couple who have lost their only child to a senseless car accident and are now attempting to survive the enormous loss that threatens to bring them down."

The "couple" is made up of Howie and Becca. Becca's sister, Izzy, adds critical tension to the play as she reveals her pregnancy. Becca and Howie grieve the loss of their young boy who was accidentally ran over after chasing their dog into the street. Becca's mother, Nat, tries to help provide support by sharing maxims, analogies, and shared experience (her son died). However, Becca struggles to accept her mother's insight and empathy. Becca and Howie process their loss differently. David Lindsay-Abaire focuses each scene on simple, sacred moments: Howie watches old home-footage videos; Becca cleans their son's room. Further complicating the emotional turmoil, the young man, Jason, who ran over their son wants to meet with them. He does eventually meet with Becca. There is no grand resolution to the play, as the playwright planned. 

The play was made into a movie for which Nicole Kidman was nominated for an Oscar. I have seen several clips from the movie on YouTube, and I hope to watch the entire film. This clip is from one of the most moving parts of the play wherein Nat compares grief to a brick a person carries in his or her pocket: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDB0bxWhS4A  

Candid Reaction

• I wonder what percentage of plays start mid-conversation.
• Izzy's account of punching a woman in the face is an oddly thematic analogy. She asks Becca, "And you know what they don't tell ya? It really hurts. To punch someone. It fricken hurts" (10). Is this a way Lindsay-Abaire develops theme on attacking grief? 
• The urge to fake happiness in the middle of grieving is common. 
• The vibe I get from the first couple scenes is unsettled. While the characters may agree on certain topics or perspectives, they seem to always qualify their feelings. 
• There are several responses that are based on facial reactions. I wonder how the actors handle this. From the director's standpoint, this must frame the blocking because the characters would have to be looking at each other at specific lines. 
• When Becca tells Howie, "But things aren't 'nice' any more," I couldn't help but think of the line in the movie Room, "This is the story you get!" (44)
• Howie and Becca have different needs and ways of processing loss. 
• The dialogue in the home-video is so haunting and heart-warming. Excellent writing!
• Lindsay-Abaire is adamant about how the play is to be acted in his Author's Note. He explains the necessity of humor. The writing allows for this. 
• Nat posits, "It's like the Kennedy curse, isn't it? People want things to make sense" (68). Her thinking echoes Harold Kushner's thoughts on grieving in his book Why Bad Things Happened to a Good Person: The Book of Job. 
• The dialogue in this play is incredible. Becca explains the disconnect she feels at the group therapy. She argues that there is not true empathy in that environment because, "They understand what they're going through" (72). 
• Becca's spat with Nat at the end of Act One Scene Three is ROUGH. 
• The fallout between Becca and Howie at the end of Act One is excruciatingly painful. 
• Act Two Scene One reminds me of the turning point in Fences . . . AHHHHHH. 
• The fruit rollup story sounds like a true story. 
• Howie tells Jason, "You just can't pop in because the door's open" (113). I feel there is so much discussion to be had from that seemingly simple statement. 
• The scene where Becca takes the sheets off her son's bed seems like the exact opposite scene in 'night, Mother where the two characters make the bed (not just physically, but figuratively).  
• There is an abundance of desserts in the play. 
• Oh, no. Matt Lauer! Too soon?
• Not the biggest fan of the parallel universe conversation.
• The final tableau is gut-wrenching. 

Top Two Aspects/Reasons for Winning

1. Grief

The play perfectly captures how complex the grieving process is for humanity. Lindsay-Abaire approaches the topic of grief without sentimentality or melodrama.

Classroom Implications

The play would be accessible to 9th grade students. The text would be difficult, I think, for any student currently experiencing a death of a loved one. It could be a nice text for comparative essays. The students could pick two of the characters to compare grieving processes. 

Personal Takeaway

Everyone grieves differently.

Ranking

	Dialogue	Characters	Plot/Conflict	Symbol/Literary Devices	Overall Enjoyment	TOTAL SCORE 9.25
0	Unfollowable; unrealistic; diction does not match character	Undeveloped; does not reflect humanity	Not engaging; predictable; reader can step away from text because it isn’t gripping	Devices are apparent for cleverness and do not enhance the story	Reader has no interest in re-reading play
1	Not consistently realistic	Well-developed; most depictions reflect humanity	Semi-engaging; some unnecessary plot-points (1.5)	Devices somewhat enhance story	Reader would re-read with pleasure and reminded of work
2	Realistic; connotative; diction matches characters (2.0 -- I wish I could give it something higher)	Fully-developed; depictions reflect humanity (2.0)	Engaging; unique; reader finds it impossible to put down text because the conflict is so gripping!	Devices seamlessly enhance the story and provide rich interpretation (1.75)	Reader would re-read the play on own volition, enthusiastically (2.0)