Let yourself be led down the "Rabbit Hole" (10-03-08)
Review by Linda Relyea
It doesn't take long to establish empathy with the characters in the Adams State College Theatre Department's production of "Rabbit Hole". It is as though a screen is lifted and we are looking straight into the lives of five ordinary individuals who, at this point, are struggling to accept a personal tragedy and move past the grief.
I'll admit, when Doc (Dr. Paul Newman) first described his latest production, I was not anxious to see "Rabbit Hole". The play is about a family coping with the accidental death of four-year-old, Danny. As a mother of a five-year-old, I wasn't sure I could cope with watching the drama. However, Newman cast incredible actors, including four seniors. The three women, Elizabeth Tantanella, Heather Wilder, and Emily Stiles, I believe, are three of the most talented, intelligent, and attractive women to have graced the Adams State stage in the last ten years. Josh Streeter, who helped make the step-family of Cinderella famous, proved his acting range includes drama.
Oh, I cried - but I also laughed, at times. And most of all I lost myself in the lives of a family seeking comfort, and not always finding it - especially 'Becca, Danny's mother. As the play unfolds, we watch as she gradually lets her loved ones in and it is Jason, the teenaged driver that struck Danny down, who is the surprising key to her healing.
"Rabbit Hole" is about family dynamics and about hope. It is also a rich multi-dimensional look at life - well written, marvelously directed, and played with heart, conviction and compassion.
"Rabbit Hole" opens at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 on the Main Stage and continues at 8 p.m. Oct. 4, and Oct. 9 through Oct. 11; matinee shows are 12 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 2 p.m. on Oct. 12; all performances are on the Main Stage. For ticket reservations contact the Box Office at 719-587-8499. Tickets are $9 for general public, $7 for seniors and students, and $5 for children 12 and under, and free to Associated Students and Faculty.
