This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 3, 2011 - Like the well-known optical illusion that first appears as a beautiful woman but upon closer inspection reveals a witch, the play "The Giver" portrays a community that is not what it seems.
As St. Louis audiences will discover during a Jan. 7-23 production of "The Giver" by the Edison Theatre and Metro Theater Company, life looks good as the curtain goes up on a tranquil town. But the utopian society soon morphs into a dystopia as theater-goers learn that pain, violence and prejudice have been eliminated only at a great cost: the removal of emotional depth.
"When you start looking at what was given up, it seems like the soul has been taken out of the community," said Edison executive director Charles Robin.
It's all part of the society's "Sameness" plan. Gone are color, music and diversity. In keeping with the status quo, all members receive unique jobs when they turn 12. One such boy, Jonas (played in a duel casting move by Mitchell List and Christian Probst), inherits the rarely-passed-down position of "Receiver of Memory": the one who stores all the memories that came before Sameness.
After Jonas receives these memories from the one known as The Giver, he agonizes about whether he should trade his peaceful, shallow world for the more turbulent but colorful one that he's beginning to discover.
Actor List, 14, who began his stage career at 10 playing Winthrop in the Alpha Players' "Music Man," understands Jonas' fascination with the forbidden.
"I can relate to the curiosity of Jonas, how he wants to know more once he starts seeing the memories -- he's kind of hooked in," List said.
The other Jonas, Probst, 16, who got his acting start at 7 years old as Michael Darling in the Muny's "Peter Pan," shares his character's inquisitiveness about the road ahead.
"I relate to wondering what the future holds, what his job is going to be like, what his purpose in life is -- all the main questions every human being asks," Probst said.
Beloved Book Comes To Life
Reading the book "The Giver" by Lois Lowry during the summer after eighth grade, Probst appreciated its ageless appeal.
"I liked how the author didn't dumb anything down," Probst said. "It's a children's or a youth book but it was sophisticated and interesting, no too hard but it still kept my attention."
Eric Coble of Cleveland, who adapted "The Giver" for the stage, only learned of the Newberry Award-winning book as an adult.
"If you're over 25 like me, you stand a good chance of never having heard of it," Coble said. "If you're under 25, you stand a good chance of having it be one of your favorite all-time books."
Coble, who also wrote the cancer musical "Unbeatable," produced at Westport Theatre last fall and "The Dead Guy," staged by HotCity Theatre in 2008, was instantly struck by the theatrical possibilities offered by "The Giver."
His production challenges included creating a black-and-white world punctuated by intermittent bursts of color, as Jonas begins to see beyond the bland.
"The first time is when Jonas steals an apple and he can't identify what's happened to it, but basically, he sees that it's red," Coble said. "It's one of the first glimmerings that this boy has --and that the audience gets -- that there is this possibility of color."
After The Curtain Falls
While Coble's production has played in more than 50 U.S. cities, he's only been present at one staging -- the premiere. He'll see it for only the second time on opening night at the Edison, and participate in that night's audience discussion which follows each show.
The sessions will contain plenty of food for thought for young and old, according to Metro Theater's artistic director Carol North.
"This is one of those books and productions that really serves a crossover audience," North said. "There will be rich conversation among adults and young people about what really matters, what would we do anything to protect in our own community and world -- and if we had that magic wand, what we would change."
"The Giver" is the third co-production between Metro Theater and the Edison, and stems from a 25-year relationship that benefits both organizations: Metro uses of the Edison's stage and the Edison gets to reach out to new audiences.
Regarding this particular joint production of "The Giver," North said she's especially pleased to work with the Edison on a show that's sure to spark many a lively debate.
"My goal is always to provide an opportunity that really is a catalyst for conversation on the way home," North said. "There's nothing better than that."
Nancy Fowler Larson, who has written on a variety of topics for the Beacon, will soon be joining the staff.