Rabbit Hole – Heartrending

Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire

Produced by Marg Hilborn & Chris M. Worsnop | Directed by Brenda Worsnop

This Pulitzer Prize winning play tells the story of Becca and Howie, a couple trying to recover from a family tragedy. Becca’s mother, Nat, and her younger sister, Izzy, try in their own ways to comfort them. Deeply humane, occasionally funny and always heartrending, Rabbit Hole explores the ways we deal with grief, both individually and as families.

“The first time I saw Rabbit Hole I was touched by its sensitivity and humanity. I have always been attracted to plays that depict real people rather than caricatures. This play was a perfect fit. When I read it, the characters jumped off the page at me, I could envision the staginTg. It’s powerful, it’s poignant, and it’s real. When the Players chose it and asked me to direct I was thrilled.

This Pulitzer Prize winner has proved to be both challenging and rewarding when trying to bring the author’s intent to life. As playwright Lindsay-Abaire states: “It is not a tidy play … avoid sentimentality and histrionics at all costs”. There are moments of hope, moments of laughter, and moments of tears, just like real life. What I found attractive in this script was the wonderful way it captured the believability of the characters in comedy as well as in tragedy. It revealed an ordinary family full of conflict, sadness and love. There must not be an ounce of melodrama or a trace of soap opera. The situations and emotions have to be totally real.

Set designer, Wendy Sheppard, created a set that depicts my vision of the crumbling confusion of this fractured family. For that I am very grateful. While Danny was with them the home was solid; without him the walls are blank and empty. The further the family moves from his presence, the more fragile they become.

I have also been blessed with a superb cast who have seriously immersed themselves in the script to explore their roles with professional dedication. The crew, under the cheerful guidance of producers Marg Hilborn and Chris Worsnop, have worked very hard since the beginning of the planning process creating just the right details for the setting and atmosphere. Their work contributes greatly to the magic you are about to experience.

Will the family figure it out? It’s up to you. Enjoy!”

Brenda Barr Worsnop

Read the review by Selena Forsyth, Northumberland Today