When I saw that this play was on our syllabus before the start of the year, I was so excited because I had wanted to see it at ACTF last year. A series of unfortunate bus limitations meant I could not see it with the rest of my lovely theatre friends. After reading it now (knowing nothing about what it was) I definitely am left with some questions and opinions. When I finished, the first reaction to the play was, what was I supposed to get out of that?
Another immediate thought I had about this play (which I talked about in class) was that I really felt like I could judge the characters and their actions. I love watching Dr. Phil and I found a similar enjoyment out of watching this particular household dynamic pan out. There are clearly a multitude of problems, being enabled by multiple people in the play. This makes it hard to decide just who is "right" or "wrong" as a whole. It is still possible, however, to analyze each situation and make judgments about who is acting more reasonably in a certain situation. For example, I felt like I could empathize with Becca while she was talking to Izzy about her bar fight and pregnancy. It seemed obvious to me that someone who likes to go out to bars, punched someone in the face, and had no problem sleeping with another woman's boyfriend, would be in no place to have a child.
Having these opinions are entertaining of course. Just like watching teens out of control, or abusive spouses on Dr. Phil, analyzing a family's problems from the outside can be fun. It can also be educational. Hopefully, no one that you know loses a child, becomes unexpectedly pregnant, or any other such obstacle. Those situations are inevitable, however. So being able to react in your mind to them, can help you cope with a crisis in real life. In this idea, I found the answer to my initial question. I believe that the play is meant to help an audience member understand what they should or could do in a difficult situation.
More importantly, the play normalizes the processes that come along with losing a family member. Going through grief can be difficult and embarrassing. Furthermore, guilt can come along with accidents just like the one that is described in Rabbit Hole. I am still a little stuck on some of the details of these psychological, and relational problems. Hopefully a little bit of research will reveal what else audiences can take away from this hopeful but gut-wrenching story.
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