3.5 stars out of 5

Admittedly, it is no small task for a local theater company to attempt to put on a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama. The expectations of both critics and casual theater-goers alike will be much higher than usual. Fortunately, Madison’s own Strollers Theatre has put on a production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s critically-acclaimed play “Rabbit Hole” which, aside from a few minor flaws, will be a delightful experience for all who attend.

Rabbit Hole premiered in 2005 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2007. The plot focuses on the way in which the Corbett family deals with the death of their four year-old son Danny.

Becca Corbett, played by Jessica Jane Witham, and her husband Howie, played by University of Wisconsin graduate Patrick O’Hara, are both deeply grieved by the loss of their son, but they seem to grieve in different ways. Witham and O’Hara seem deeply in-tune with the thoughts and feelings of their respective characters, and the strained chemistry between them is remarkable on stage. The tension is almost palpable at some points.

For example, Howie’s failed attempt to rekindle intimacy with his wife is one of the most poignant moments in the play, and both actors do a superb job with the scene.

O’Hara’s portrayal of Howie is well done overall, though it seems weakest at the most emotionally intense moments. One is left with the sense that he is holding back just a bit, even when he should be reaching the depths of his character’s pathos.

Izzy, played by Jessica Evans Grimm, is Becca’s childish, irresponsible sister who, in an ironic twist, finds herself pregnant. She provides welcome comic relief amid all the mourning and fighting, though she too participates in a fair share of the family arguments.

Grimm’s portrayal of Izzy, though humorous and lighthearted, seems somewhat exaggerated and false at points; she seems more like a caricature than an actual human being. Again, it’s obvious that the playwright intended Izzy to be comic relief, but some of her lines reveal shades of depth and compassion that Grimm failed to actualize.

Becca’s mother Nat is played by Marcy Weiland. She serves as an important supporting role for Becca. Her situation in life parallels Becca’s in an eerie way, as a son of hers died too. In spite of their similarities, the two still argue viciously at points throughout the play.

Weiland does an excellent job of portraying the various shades of her character: At times she is jovial and drunk at the kitchen table, at others she is a compassionate mother and at still other times she is bitterly fighting with her daughter.

Witham’s acting seems the most polished of all the cast. Becca’s personality throughout the play is full of complexities and nuances that Witham seems to hit on very well. Even more than Weiland, Witham is required to hit a huge range of human emotion.

The set of the play is a realistic, suburban family home. The designers made full use of the width of the Evjue Stage: stretching along the kitchen, Danny’s room and the family room from left to right. The back wall of the set is painted with an image of a rabbit hole which runs continuously through all three rooms of the house. Some of the paint strokes even stretch out onto the floor.

It adds a surreal feeling to all the drama being enacted before it. It also serves as a physical reminder of the family’s slow descent into the darkest depths of mourning.

The designers also snuck in a few subtler hints about the play’s main themes. For example, the birthday cake at Izzy’s birthday is actually a carrot cake.

The Strollers Theatre production of this play isn’t perfect, but it’s still skillfully executed and worthy of attention. The cast has definitely captured the emotional depths of the play. The crowd is sure to be filled with both glistening eyes as well as bursts of laughter, as the playwright would have intended.

Seeing such an intense, well-written play live is an opportunity that anyone interested in theater should not miss.

“Rabbit Hole” will run at the Bartell Theatre on 113 E. Mifflin St from Aug. 26-Sept. 17. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors. For more specific times and dates call (608)-661-9696 x2 or visit www.bartelltheatre.org.