When the gifted and delightful actress Kristen Bell was an undergraduate theater student at New York University, I was one of her fortunate acting teachers. I also had the privilege of casting her as the “Frank Mills” girl in a production of HAIR i directed for NYU sophomores. She was delightful in the role , getting joyfully , appropriately naked along with all the rest of the eager young actors, and i loved working with her.
One day in rehearsal she couldn’t stop crying and i asked her why…she said her beloved pet rabbit Mr. Bun-Bun had just died and the vet costs of cremating him or disposing of him in any way were beyond her scholarship means.
I assured her I would take care of the deceased Mr. Bun-Bun for her. So at the next rehearsal:
She gave me a frozen package that contained Mr. Bun-Bun (he had been resting n peace in her freezer) and i vowed I would give him a solemn burial in my garden at my Upstate House…and so, my husband Peter and I took the frozen bunny, which also contained rabbit food and carrots and other of his favorite toys and on a lovely Autumn day, we dug a hole in one end of the garden and placed Mr. Bun-Bun to his eternal rest.
As far as I know, he still rests in peace there, even though it has been decades since we buried him….we buried him in the part of the garden I dubbed Momma’s Garden, since it was the part of my extensive garden i planted entirely with blue flowers and blue flowering shrubs….Mommas eyes were blue so I honored her passing by dedicating a portion of my garden entirely to planting blue flowers. And Mr. Bun-Bun received a solemn and loving burial in Momma’s Garden, rabbit food, carrots and toys and all.
I wonder to this day if Kristen remembers her old acting teacher/director and the kindly act of pity and love we performed by burying her Mr. Bun-Bun.
Mr. Bun Bun remains forever in my memory….a frozen bunny for all eternity.