An early look at ‘Rabbit Hole,’ starring Nicole Kidman
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‘Rabbit Hole,’ the latest Pulitzer Prize-winning play to be adapted for the screen, is set to open in limited release in the U.S. on Dec. 17. Starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, the comedy-drama about a couple grieving for their son is based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s 2006 play, which also was nominated for several Tony Awards.
‘Rabbit Hole’ opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theater in 2006. Produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club, the play starred Cynthia Nixon, John Slattery and Tyne Daly, and was directed by Daniel Sullivan. Nixon won the Tony for her role as Becca, a suburban mother whose mourning for her dead son takes the form of sarcasm, bitterness and a host of other emotions.
The play had its origins in Southern California. Lindsay-Abaire was commissioned to write the play by South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. A reading of the play, directed by Carolyn Cantor, took place at the company’s Pacific Playwrights Festival in 2005. The play was presented at the Geffen Playhouse in 2006.
‘Rabbit Hole’ went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2007. It was nominated for the Tony for best play in 2006 but lost to Alan Bennett’s ‘The History Boys.’
The movie version, distributed in the U.S. by Lionsgate, boasts impressive theater credentials in the form of director John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote and starred in the popular off-Broadway production ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch.’ It also features a screenplay by Lindsay-Abaire, who adapted his own play. Dianne Wiest plays the role of Becca’s mother, which Daly played on Broadway.
You can watch the trailer for ‘Rabbit Hole’ in the video above.
-- David Ng
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