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Mitchell List as Jonas (left) and Nicholas Kryah as the Giver in Metro Theater Company's production of "The Giver" (Photo by Dunsi Dai) |
The inhabitants of the futuristic community in "The Giver" are fortunate to live without the things we hope never to endure: war, poverty, hunger, pain. But they also lack the things that make us who we are: choices, differences, memories, love.
In this world, everyone wears the same gray uniform. Children, one boy and one girl, are issued to each set of parents; spouses are assigned. Climate control has made sunlight and snow obsolete. And careers are given to children when they turn 12.
Young Jonas finds out his job assignment: He will train to become the new Receiver of Memory, a respected position that will expose him to things he's been shielded from all his life. The current Receiver of Memory, whom Jonas refers to as the Giver, holds the memories of life before Sameness began. Without him, memories of the past would return to the community members.
Young-adult author Lois Lowry created this dystopian world in 1994, and playwright Eric Coble adapted her Newbery Medal-winning book for the stage. It's presented by Metro Theater Company and the Edison Theatre.
Coble's adaptation is true to Lowry's story, and at just over an hour, it's easy for young audiences to digest. But older audience members may yearn for more explanation and development, especially as Jonas plans a daring escape from the life that's been chosen for him.
Carol North's direction of the troupe, which includes double casting in the children's roles (an energetic and delightful Christian Probst was Jonas in Saturday's performance), is flawless. Scenic design by Dunsi Dai is simple yet stylish, and lights by John Wylie bring the Giver's memories to life and fill the gray stage with color. Props are kept to a minimum, but creative sound design by Rusty Wandall and effects by Lance Garger give dimension to the actors' frequently pantomimed actions.
Metro veteran Nicholas Kryah makes the Giver warm and lovable, and Stephanie Strohman and David Wassilak are Jonas' eternally cheerful mother and father.
Issues with the actors' microphones, which seem unnecessary in a house the size of the Edison Theatre, plagued the show on Saturday evening, but "The Giver" is otherwise a compelling and thought-provoking piece of family theater.
And it will do what good theater should: Give you something to talk about.
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