Blackbird
The Lieutenant of Inishmore
A Tampa Bay premiere!
"The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well." – Louis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
“David Lindsay-Abaire has crafted a drama that’s not just a departure but a revelation – an intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, compassion and searing honesty.” – Variety
Rabbit Hole, which earned five Tony nominations (including a Best Actress win for Cynthia Nixon) in addition to the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, tells the story of Becca and Howie Corbett, a typical suburban Westchester County couple whose four-year-old son, Danny, was fatally hit by a car eight months earlier.
Struggling to cope and unable to reconcile their different methods of grieving, Becca and Howie’s relationship begins to unravel: Becca is trying to forget the pain, Howie is holding onto his fading memories. The presence of Becca’s well-intentioned mother and off-kilter sister only complicates the situation. Everything again changes when Jason, the teenage boy driving the car that killed Danny, comes into their lives searching for his own closure.
A quietly moving play that’s also witty and warm, the story explores the reconnection of relationships and the possibilities of hope after great tragedy. The play ultimately follows Becca and Howie’s struggle back to the light of day, with Lindsay-Abaire showing the conflict, the anguish and the healing effects of humor with what the New York Times called, "meticulously mapped empathy."
Without sentimentality or mawkishness, Lindsay-Abaire weaves a simple and honest tale of loss filled with brilliant dialogue, all-too-familiar characters, unexpected laughter and finally a sense of hope for Becca and Howie's uncertain future.