At the St. Vladimir Theatre, Rabbit Hole presents me with an interesting dilemma. Going in I expect a heartfelt drama and an eye-opening experience but instead I am left with what seems like a regular couple’s troubled relationship.
Becca and Howie are a married couple who have lost their four year old child in a tragic accident. We get an insight into how they deal with this trauma with the help (or in some cases lack of help) from their family.
Despite a situation that most couples couldn’t even fathom, the relationships in this play are very easy to relate to and one becomes closer to understanding the implications of losing a young child.
There is little plot development which I am personally a big fan of since that usually means there is a lot of character development. In this case, however, I find a lack of that as well which leaves me slightly underwhelmed. I would have preferred more specific character development, creating lives that I could not have imagined on my own accord, arguing and dealing with issues that I never experienced or expected.
The characters frustrate me because of their inability to effectively communicate with each other. Issues that can be further developed and explored are cut short due to rising tempers and walking out of conversations unresolved. The anger and emotional struggles are openly felt when this happens, however the gravity and depth of their problems is not explored to my liking.
Overall, I think Rabbit Hole is interesting in how it demonstrates issues in relationships. It also allows for a traumatic situation to be more easily accessible to the general public. Personally I was disappointed with the generic characters and relationships they had, I would have liked my imagination to be activated a bit more. If you are looking for an intense and emotionally driven show, this is the thing for you.
Details:
Rabbit Hole is playing at St. Vladimir Theatre (620 Spadina Rd.)
Showtimes:
Friday July 8 at 1:15 PM
Saturday July 9 at 5:45 PM
Monday July 11 at 8:15 PM
Tuesday July 12 at 8:30 PM
Thursday July 14 at 7:00 PM
Sunday July 17 at 4:30 PM
All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only).
Advance tickets are $11, available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062, in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street
The reviewer commented more on the play than on the production. Fair enough not to like the play and the way the characters develop. Realistically peoplr sometimes people do avoid issues.
My main point though, is that this play is a Pulitzer prize winning play. This means that it is a well constucted play, which has been recognised with an award. It is not something just created for the Toronto Fringe.
The standard of production is excellent. It is s true play, not just a Fringe show. I recommend highly.
This production of “Rabbit Hole” was well acted, but I felt the direction was a little off. Like the reviewer, I couldn’t really get into the characters – perhaps it was the tone or the pauses for scene changes were a little distracting.