This semester’s production of ‘Rabbit Hole’ was a nice touch for Family Weekend, Oct. 20 to 21. The prevailing themes of David Lindsay-Abaire’s Tony Award-winning story combined with Ann Brady’s direction left a great impression on both the student audience and their families.

‘Rabbit Hole’ chronicles the journey a couple makes to be functional after their only child dies.

Becca, played by sophomore Rose-Emma Lunderman, deals with her son’s passing by hiding the things that remind her of him, lashing out at the people she cares about and by distancing herself from her husband. Despite her cold persona she is very likable, due in part to Lunderman’s fantastic acting. Despite the mature subject matter, Lunderman embodied a grief-stricken mother flawlessly and it was her performance that gave such a professional angle to the production.

Becca’s husband, Howie, played by Matthew Koenig, deals with his loss by watching videos of his son and immersing himself in help groups. Koenig’s performance, though enthusiastic, came across as a bit hokey and over-acted. Because of the intense experiences of the characters, Daniel Lewis, a junior biology major, empathized with Howie’s feelings.

‘[It was] an emotional roller coaster,’ Lewis said.

Jason, the high school senior who accidentally killed Danny, has trouble seeking a relationship with the parents of the boy whose life he accidentally took. His feeble and awkward attempts at getting to know the family are an entertaining break from the intensity of the other scenes.

Jason Chaskin, who played Jason, was a very believable science geek. Chaskin’s acting had very developed body language and vocal variety which added to his role as the comic relief. Chaskin radiated happiness onstage and helped to make the production humorous as well as moving.

‘It was a great experience, I learned so much throughout the past weeks,’ Chaskin said.

Studio A in the Fine Arts Building was a good space to host the production ‘Rabbit Hole’ because of its small size and circular style seating. The intimate setting made the audience feel like they were sitting in the same living room as the characters. The illusion was maintained through most of the production as the the prop crew and stage managers did a seamless job of changing the sets.

The actors interacted very well with the set and utilized all of the available space as the play maintained its rhythm and forced the audience’s eyes to travel across the stage.

The show had a perfect balance between dark and light humor. The audience laughed heartily as much as they sat in sorrowful silence.

The production itself was fantastic; it went way beyond what many would expect from a college production. But ‘Rabbit Hole’ is also very well written, possessing dialogue and a plot that is very true to life. There was no Hollywood ending where everything ends up being perfect.

A lot of work went into the production and it truly showed. ‘Rabbit Hole’ was a promising beginning to a year of theater on Binghamton University’s campus.