Raw, emotional production from Tullamore drama group is a must-see for theatre-lovers

DIRECTOR Mary Sherwin took a brave gamble when she selected "Rabbit Hole" as Tullamore Amateur Dramatic Society's (TADS) Autumn/ Winter production.

But Mary's decision has paid off handsomely judging by the performance of the cast in Monday's dress rehearsal prior to the play opening last night and running at the Esker Arts Centre until next Friday.

"Rabbit Hole" is a raw, tense play that deals with the grief experienced by family members following the death of young son and grandson in a traffic accident.

Intense, engrossing, thought-provoking, emotional are just some of the terms that can be used to describe the plot which is brought to life by the passionate performances of the entire cast.

The family dynamics on show on the stage can be identified with by audiences, particularly those who have experienced a sudden death of a loved one.

We witness how the main characters, the husband and wife duo, Becca (Sinead Handy) and Howie (Ivan Hanamy) come to terms with the death of their son, Danny.

Sinead captures Becca's sensible and responsible character perfectly but also shows the rawness her character is feeling following her son's accidental death.

Becca seems to be in a state of denial and is accused by her husband of trying to erase Danny by storing away his artwork and getting rid of his beloved dog.

Incidentally the dog returns on the insistence of Howie and, though we we never see it, we hear its barking at stages through the TADS production.

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Ivan Hanamy produces a passionate performance as Howie and expertly captures the anger and depression which has engulfed his character since his son's death.

Like most men. Howie tries to deal with his pain internally and lead as normal a life as possible in the circumstances.

There is tension between him and Becca, rumours of an affair with a member of a grief-counselling group he attends and a reluctance to meet the young man, Jason – played by Sean Doyle - who seemingly caused the accident leading to Danny's death.

At the start of the play we are introduced to Izzy, Becca's sister, whose dizziness and irresponsibility is brought to life by familiar TADS face, Claire Lemass.

Becca's carefree attitude to life is in stark contrast to her sister and we learn early on that she is pregnant, out of wedlock and has been engaged in a bar fight.

The duo's mother, Nat, is ably portrayed by Linda McGill, who has returned to the stage after a nine year gap, having last performed in TADS's production of "Big Maggie" in 2016.

Linda is the voice of reason and having also experienced the loss of a son attempts to provide advice and solace to Becca.

Sean Doyle, as Jason, bravely attends the open house as Becca and Howie attempt to sell their home. His niavety and innocence, to a lesser extent, is captured by Sean in this scene and near the play's end when he has a private meeting with Becca.

The entire cast of five were all excellent at Monday's dress rehearsal with the small audience completely engrossed in the plot and the performances of the actors throughout.

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The play is set somewhere in the New York area and the cast all manage a reasonable American accent.

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire, it was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Cynthia Nixon won the 2006 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance as Becca in the New York production, and the play was nominated for several other Tony awards.

Well-known television actors, John Slattery (Mad Men) and Tyne Daly (Cagney and Lacey) have also starred in "Rabbit Hole" in the past.

The stage set consists of a living room/ kitchen and bedroom which fits into our perceptions of US style living.

Clever quirks to the production include flickering street lighting which we can observe through the curtain blinds and the barking in the background of the family dog, which we never actually meet.

The show runs for four nights at 8pm in Esker Arts, opening on Tuesday, November 18 and closing on Friday, November 21.

Tickets are on sale from www.eskerarts.ie or through the Esker Arts box office. More information about TADS can be found on www.tullamoredrama.ie

CAST

Sinead Handy: Becca

Claire Lemass: Izzy

Linda McGill : Nat

Ivan Hanamy : Howie

Seán Doyle : Jason