Local Theatre Highlights Unique Effects Of Loss

Centred around life-changing events, a local theatre company is showing how grief impacts everyone differently.

Starting Friday, February 28th, Cardinal Music Productions is ready for a two week run of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize winning Rabbit Hole. With performances taking place from Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church (located at 3200 Woodland Avenue,) the emotional play will take audiences through the tumultuous journey that comes from great loss.

Looking for something small, interesting and poignant, the show was a perfect way to open the company’s 2025 season.

“It was a good fit because we knew we had the actors we needed to make the show effective,” said director Bayleigh Cardinal. “It is delicate work that requires intelligent character navigation, and we are lucky to have the talent available in this city to do a show like this. We wanted to present something that would move audiences and we’re confident this show will do that.”

Starting with a normal family life, Becca and Howie Corbett’s world changes forever when their four-year-old son is killed in a random accident. Not long after the tragedy, Becca’s younger sister Izzy announces she’s pregnant and a new child will be part of the family. With the Corbetts’ marital relationship deteriorating, Becca’s mother Nat also starts harassing the suburban wife about her grieving process. As the young driver who killed their son continuously asks for forgiveness, the play follows five distinct journeys as everyone attempts to find a meaningful life after great loss.

Given its emotional subject matter, finding the right tone was very important.

“The trap of this show and what makes it so challenging is that it could easily become too caught up in the despondency,” said Cardinal. “But grief isn’t just a wall of sadness. Life continues around grief — life which is funny, warm and ever changing. The wonderful thing about this show is that it allows the characters to feel all of it in their own respective ways throughout their journeys.”

Feeling each character is funny at their core, the director believes audiences will find pieces of themselves amongst the different personalities. Through that familiarity, humour can be found as a connection gets made.

Knowing how crucial it was to convey these elements, the company brought back actors they’d previously worked with for Rabbit Hole. Collaborating with all cast members before, Cardinal knew they could navigate the complicated material.

Beyond this, she also knew what kind of energy everyone could bring to their roles.

“Because we realized the specific personalities of each character, we wanted to select people who we knew would be able to project those character traits,” said the director. “For example, the character of Izzy is loud, boisterous and commands attention. She is being played by Stephanie Hoffer, who has exactly the right presence on stage to portray a character like this. The role of Jason is played by Beau St Pierre and he is excellent at conveying the nervous energy and awkwardness deeply rooted in this character. One of the best parts about this show is how real the characters are, and we have exactly the right cast to make it authentic.”

With rehearsals beginning before Christmas, characterization was prioritized. This started with table reads of the script, giving notes and experimenting with different combinations of emotion for each character. Throughout these early stages, it quickly became apparent every actor fit their roles perfectly. As further progress was made, added chemistry emerged as well. Allowing scenes to feel natural and realistic, these character dynamics helped the play’s actors grow into their parts.

Getting into the show still came with some emotional challenges however.

“I think one of the emotional challenges of the play as an actor is coming back to yourself after you’ve gone through the show,” said Cardinal. “What helps is that the play itself does give each character an emotional release, and though you don’t make it through the metaphorical woods of grief so to speak, you do see light through the thick of it. Speaking for myself in playing the role of Becca – the playwright David Lindsay-Abaire is very specific about what he wants for this character. I found it uniquely challenging because there is only one moment in the show where she lets herself feel the full weight of her grief. So you have to be very careful going through the scenes to never be overcome because she is very high-functioning and has compartmentalized her feelings. You have to allow yourself to laugh, to be warm, to be flippant at times, to be sad without tears, to be angry without histrionics. It is a difficult balance.”

Largely focusing on people who are stuck, the play’s shifts and journeys are subtle. Taking this approach, small movements in character dynamics end up being more powerful. Unwavering in how they heal, everyone eventually accepts one another, their differences and grows as a result.

Before a resolution is found however, characters approach grief in unique ways that create conflict.

“I think one of the most profound aspects of Rabbit Hole is that each character is so different in their capacity to hold on to and project their grief,” said Cardinal. “The dialogue is simple, relatable, but powerful in its subjects. It talks about faith. It talks about the effects of grief in a marriage in the ability to connect, both physically and emotionally. It talks about the role of material possessions in holding grief. While one character may see a book as a reminder to make distance from, another may see the same book as something to hold close as a source of comfort.”

According to the director, those differences and greater possibilities are what make the play connect so deeply.

“Most profoundly, [Rabbit Hole] talks about parallel universes,” she said.” Those that are other versions of the self that may be out there feeling differently than your current self. It explores how even that can be a source of comfort during hardship. The grief each character feels is the same grief, but existing in different versions of itself through each person. The depths the show goes to while on the surface staying completely real and relatable is what makes it so great.”

Rabbit Hole will be staged at Paulin Memorial Presbyterian Church on February 28th, March 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30pm, with Sunday performances starting at 2:00pm.  Tickets are $33.90 including tax and can be purchased online or via e-transfer by using [email protected]and picking up tickets at the venue before showtime. People using e-transfer are asked to include their name, date the tickets are required, how many are being purchased and phone number in the message box their bank provides. Walk-up admission is $35 including tax (cash only.) Seating is not assigned.

Covering many emotions, those attending will be entertained for some surprising reasons.

“People should see this show because while it is entertaining, interesting and captivating, it also has the capacity to make you feel very deeply,” said Cardinal. “People may be surprised to learn that the feeling it gives them isn’t sadness, but instead, relief. Relief in knowing that any way of grieving is okay. Relief in imagining other versions of ourselves existing so differently from us. Relief is the breath of release the show delivers by the end. For all of us, this show has been a beautiful experience. We realized very quickly how powerful this could be and I think I speak for our entire cast when I say we absolutely cannot wait to share this piece of theatre with audiences.”

For more information on Cardinal Music Productions and their upcoming shows, those interested can visit their website.