A Bottomless Pit of Grief: 'Rabbit Hole'

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DAVID LINDSAY-ABAIRE'S play, the 2007 Pulitzer Prize-winning "Rabbit Hole," is the story of a family dealing with the death of their 4-year-old son, Danny.

When the play opens, it's been eight months since the accident, but Becca (Deborah Hazlett) and Howie Corbett (Paul Morella) are finding it harder to cope, especially after Becca's younger — and wilder — sister Izzy announces she's pregnant.

It's every parent's worst nightmare, and Lindsay-Abaire's script, along with Mitchell Hebert's direction, makes it feel all too real. Howie and Becca have distinctly different coping methods, and every day is a fight to regain some sense of normalcy in their lives. Add Becca's mother, Nat, who lost a child of her own many years ago and tends to drink, and the guilt-stricken high schooler, Jason, and you have some powerful scenes.

While Hazlett and Morella take the main spotlight, Megan Anderson's Izzy and Kate Kiley's Nat are instrumental to the healing process. Both provide voices of reason, and Anderson's one-liners and playful attitude keep "Rabbit Hole" from being too morbid.

But this isn't a comedy — it's tough to watch Morella lashing out as some of his favorite memories of Danny are lost, and to pity Aaron Bliden's Jason, whose life was also forever changed by the accident. If you're looking for light summer fare, steer clear, but this moving story has its own rewards.

» Olney Theater, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md.; through Sept. 7, $25-$48; 301-924-3400.

Written by Express' Jason Koebler
Photos by Stan Baouh