Did Broadway Critics Fall for David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole?

David Lindsay-Abaire, who is known for his whimsical off-Broadway plays, has crafted a domestic tragic drama--decidedly lacking in whimsy--in Rabbit Hole. The play stars Cynthia Nixon of Sex and the City fame, Tyne Daly, John Slattery, Mary Catherine Garrison and John Gallagher Jr. Did critics think everyone should hop over to the Biltmore to catch this Manhattan Theatre Club production?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Rob Kendt in his Broadway.com Review: "On its own whimpering terms, the domestic drama Rabbit Hole is a disappointment, tracing about half a stage of grief in a young would-be soccer mom whose four year old was killed by a passing motorist. But as the newest offering, and the Broadway debut, of playwright David Lindsay-Abaire… Rabbit Hole must be counted a major letdown. It's a bit like witnessing South Park drop its ironic mask for a 'very special episode.' While no one should begrudge Lindsay-Abaire the chance to defy expectations, or to stretch out beyond disability shtick and willful quirkiness before they harden into mannerisms, with Rabbit Hole he's tumbled into all the traps of mature, tasteful, Daniel Sullivan-directed theater."

Ben Brantley of The New York Times: "The sad, sweet release of Rabbit Hole lies precisely in the access it allows to the pain of others, in its meticulously mapped empathy. With an exceptional, emotionally transparent five-member cast led by Cynthia Nixon and directed by Daniel Sullivan, this anatomy of grief doesn't so much jerk tears as tap them, from a reservoir of feelings common to anyone who has experienced the landscape-shifting vacuum left by a death in the family… With Rabbit Hole, a Manhattan Theater Club production, you never feel as if you have been mauled by a sentimental brute who keeps telling you to go ahead and cry, Honey. There's too much honesty, accuracy and humor in the details provided by the play and by the ensemble."

Clive Barnes of The New York Post: "Cast as a traumatized Westchester housewife, [Nixon] demonstrates once more that she's among the most rewardingly nuanced stage actresses of her generation. Unfortunately, the play itself--which reveals bit by careful bit the tragedy that has engulfed a fairly commonplace suburban couple--soon develops into a dramatized agony column. It would be unfair to specify what the tragedy is, for the best aspect of Lindsay-Abaire's writing is the manner in which he unveils his story. But once that story is made clear, it's also clear he has no idea where to go with it. It's as though Dr. Phil had decided to write a feel-better play."

Howard Kissel of The New York Daily News: "With a top-flight cast, including Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly, and Daniel Sullivan directing, Rabbit Hole ought to have been a powerhouse evening. I'm afraid I found it more like a TV Movie of the Week… Rabbit Hole is thin gruel. Lindsay-Abaire's earlier plays, like Fuddy Meers and Kimberly Akimbo, were extravagantly imaginative. By contrast, this one is tiresomely mundane."

David Rooney of Variety: "Detractors of Lindsay-Abaire's work often complain that his taste for contrived whimsy gets in the way of truth and real human feeling. Putting aside his usual eccentricities in his Broadway debut, Rabbit Hole, the playwright has crafted a drama that's not just a departure but a revelation--an intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, compassion and searing honesty. Daniel Sullivan's superbly focused production for Manhattan Theater Club maximizes these qualities, as does his cast, led by the wonderful Cynthia Nixon in what will surely be among the finest performances on a New York stage this season."

Michael Kuchwara of The Associated Press: "While there are some laughs in Rabbit Hole and things are definitely off-kilter, the situation in this Manhattan Theatre Club production is somber and severe. A wealthy, suburban couple is trying to come to terms with the death of their young son, Danny, accidentally killed when he runs into the street and is struck by a car... If this sounds like a recipe for the sudsiest of soap opera, it isn't, thanks, in part, to some remarkable performances--Cynthia Nixon as Becca and John Slattery as Howie head the strong cast--and the astute, never heavy-handed direction of Daniel Sullivan… In his past, more comic plays, Lindsay-Abaire has often been accused of overdosing on aggressive cuteness and whimsey, anchoring his works in a strident unreality. That charge can't be made against Rabbit Hole, a remarkable, affecting redirection of his considerable talent."

Elysa Gardner of USA Today: "There is nothing winking or waggish about Hole… the dialogue is most impressive for capturing the awkwardness and pain of thinking people faced with an unthinkable situation - and eventually, their capacity for survival, and even hope. Daniel Sullivan's direction of this Manhattan Theatre Club production is similarly thoughtful, and he has a sterling cast."

Linda Winer of Newsday: "Nixon is challenged to compress all her emotional plumage into the limited space between soul-dead and merely inconsolable. She does so with great intelligence and no-nonsense grace in David Lindsay-Abaire's new drama, which opened last night on Broadway. When Becca finally cries, the sobs come in raw, jagged breaths that sound as ugly as they are meant to feel. With Tyne Daly as Becca's coarse but not vulgar mother, and director Daniel Sullivan's tastefully understated production, Rabbit Hole should be killing us softly with the brutality of bottomless sorrow. Instead, this is a glum little play, a predictable domestic melodrama that adds nothing but fine acting to the cumulated understanding of inexplicable loss."