Elmira Little Theatre is opening the new year with Rabbit Hole, David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play that finds unexpected humor and tenderness inside profound loss. The production is directed by Mark Sardo, who says the play’s power lies in how honestly it reflects the way people live with grief.
“Who would want to come and see a play about a family trying to navigate the grief and loss of an accident that claimed their four-year-old son?” Sardo said. “But that’s exactly what the circumstance is—and what David Lindsay-Abaire does so well is make it feel real, natural, and relatable to what people may have witnessed in their own lives.”
Though the subject matter is serious, Sardo stresses that Rabbit Hole is far from relentlessly bleak. “It is a sad topic,” he said, “but there are definitely some very humorous moments sprinkled throughout the show. I wouldn’t call it a comedy, but there is laughter—because that’s how people actually cope.”
The story unfolds in short, intimate scenes that place the audience inside the family’s daily life. “We liken it to coming to see the fishbowl,” Sardo explained. “You’re watching this family go through what has become their everyday existence, and each character has a different journey through grief. By the end, you start to see where there might be a chance for resolution—or at least hope.”
At the center of the play are Becca and Howie, parents whose opposing ways of grieving strain their marriage. “Becca grieves by trying to erase Danny from the house—packing up photos, changing rooms, even giving away the family dog,” Sardo said. “Howie, on the other hand, wants to hold on to everything. He watches home videos late at night. He needs the memories.”
The emotional balance shifts further with the arrival of Becca’s younger sister, Izzy, who is pregnant. “At first, Izzy seems like the irresponsible one,” Sardo said. “But what’s fascinating is how the roles reverse. Becca loses her composure, and Izzy becomes the voice of reason. It’s ironic and very human.”
Another complication comes when the teenager responsible for the accident seeks closure. “This character is grieving too,” Sardo said. “She doesn’t know how to move on with her life. Ironically, Becca finds comfort in her, and later the idea of ‘rabbit holes’—parallel universes—offers a glimmer of hope that somewhere, there are happier versions of these lives.”
Sardo praises his cast as deeply committed storytellers. “These are veterans of our local theatre community,” he said, singling out Rose Corrado, new to Elmira Little Theatre, for her chemistry with Stacy Weber as the two sisters. Camden Ayers plays Howie, a departure from his usual comic roles. “He’s found another level as an actor,” Sardo said. “He’s playing a broken, serious character beautifully.”
Elmira Little Theatre presents Rabbit Hole on January 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 7:30 p.m., and January 18 and 25 at 2 p.m., in Mandeville Hall at the Clemens Center in Elmira. More information and tickets are available online at https://elmiralittletheatre.org.