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Actors brighten dark 'Hole'

Jobsite Theater

Chris Rutherford (Howie) and Meg Heimstead (Becca) star in Jobsite Theater's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Rabbit Hole."

By KATHY L. GREENBERG | Tribune correspondent

Published: June 8, 2009

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David Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole" might very well hurtle theatergoers into the pits of despair. It's a treatise on tragedy and the various ways of coping with senseless death. Jobsite Theatre tackles this heavy fare in its fine production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Somewhere in a mundane Connecticut suburb, Becca (Meg Heimstead) and Howie (Christopher Rutherford) are struggling with the death of their four-year-old son, Danny. Eight months have passed since he was struck and killed by a car.

Becca's sister, Izzy (Katrina Stevenson), is pregnant, and any joy in that news is no match for Becca's profound sadness. She is in a stasis of grief that her family cannot penetrate. Yet they all cope in their own ways, and while they push Becca to move forward, she's the only one who understands that mourning is an individualized, unruly affair.

When the boy who was responsible for Danny's death shows up unexpectedly, it triggers emotional responses, almost acting as a release. Jason (Brent Reams) is a senior in high school. He is contrite but really too young and inexperienced to understand the magnitude of losing a child. His presence signifies the reality of what happened and contrasts sharply with the formless miasma of pain hovering over the household. As a result, Howie finally gets angry, while Becca moves away from her own anger toward forgiveness and recovery.

Lindsay-Abaire was kind enough to offer some comedic relief in the character of Nat, Becca and Izzy's mother. Diana Rogers took the role of this somewhat boozy, well-meaning lady. She was fabulous. Izzy, too, is meant to infuse light into this dark matter, and Stevenson hit it just right with a touch of wackiness and laissez faire.

The toughest work fell on Heimstead's shoulders. Hers was a truly unenviable task, considering the anguish she needed to summon. She did not wholly convey the tension of suppressing intense feelings. The highlight of her performance came when her character fully revealed her anger.

Rutherford was quite sympathetic as the supportive spouse, while newcomer Reams held his own as Jason, who, despite circumstances, cannot conceal the exuberance of youth.

Under Paul J. Potenza's steady direction, Jobsite's production was compelling and moving. The performances weren't as gut-wrenching as the subject matter might allow, but overall the show was well done.