By Mary Damiano

Grief can pull people together and grief can tear people apart. How one deals with their grief over the loss of a loved one can determine the rest of their lives.

Ken Clement and Wendy Michaels in Rabbit Hole, playing through December 23 at the Mosaic Theatre in Plantation Photo: George Schiavone

In Rabbit Hole, playing through December 23 at the Mosaic Theatre in Plantation, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire delves into the world of cozy domesticity shattered by tragedy, and the grief that follows.

Rabbit Hole is about Becca and Howie, a couple at a crossroads because of their grief over their 4-year-old son Danny, who was accidentally hit by a car eight months before the play begins.  The couple is dealing with their individual grief in very different ways.  While emotional Howie desperately tries to find a way to live with the memory of his little boy while getting past his grief, pragmatic Becca feels the only way she can move on is to erase many memories of Danny.  She sends away the beloved dog her son chased across the street that fateful day and urges Howie to sell the house where they all lived together as a family.

The situation is complicated by well-meaning family members, Becca’s sister Izzy and mother Nat.  Early in the first act, free-spirited Izzy announces her out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the joy of a baby yet to be born is bittersweet in light of the child that was lost.  Nat tries to be a comfort, having lost an adult son, but often makes things worse for Becca.  The fragile family is further thrown for a loop when Jason, the teenage driver who hit Danny, shows up one day seeking a certain amount of closure.

Wendy Michaels portrays Becca with wrenching restraint. As Howie,  Ken Clement gets a few moments of letting go with emotional outbursts that will keep the audience reaching for tissues.  But it is in his silent moments, such as watching home movies of playing with Danny, that Clement shines as a man experiencing the most painful loss possible.

While both Autumn Horne as Izzy and Marj O’Neill-Butler as Nat have their serious moments, they also provide Rabbit Hole with some much-needed comic relief.  Again, some of the best moments come in stillness, such as when Nat is helping Becca pack up Danny’s room and she holds a tiny sneaker in her hand. In that moment, O’Neill-Butler beautifully conveys the tension and grief of grandmother lingering over the memory of her grandson.  Ben Michaels looks a little too young for the role of teenage driver Jason; his youth, however, serves as a painful reminder to Becca about the life her son might have had.

Rabbit Hole also works technically.  Sean McClelland’s contemporary suburban New York home is realistic and cozy.  David Goodman’s lighting design enhances the mood and adds depth to many emotional moments. Traci Almeida’s sound design is also seamless.

There are times when the emotional punch of Rabbit Hole makes it hard to watch. But it’s also too good to miss.