 |
| Photo Credit: Denver Center Theater Company. |
Author: Lois Lowry
Adapted for the stage by: Eric
Coble
Venue: The Ricketson Theatre, 1101 13th Street (Denver Performing Arts Center), Denver, CO
Date of Performance: Saturday, October 13,
2012
Running Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (no intermission).
“Utopia is that which is in contraction with reality”
Albert Camus, “Between Hell and Reason.”
“The Giver” gives us a view of an alternate reality, and that
reality is someone’s version of Utopia.
It’s a perfect place. All
difficult decisions have been made years ago. Correct decisions are imposed on the population, so no one
has to suffer the consequences of his or her poor decisions. Everyone is polite, happy, and without
any substantial worries.
But this place is not really
perfect. Far from it.
Life here is programmed;
there are no deviations. Those who
are deemed unsuitable for the community are “released.” “Releasing” is a process for making
certain that the unsuitable person will not create any disruption to the
community. Ever.
“The Giver” is taken from Lois Lowry’s successful (Newbery Medal,
1994) novel of the same name. The
plot poses an important question for the 12 year old protagonist: should he stay in his home, where he
will never know love, emotions, color, or freedom, or should he run away to
pursue a fuller life? It’s a great
premise, and “The Giver” tells the
story through its target audience:
children.
My mixed feelings about this
production require a disclaimer: what
follows is personal opinion. Your
personal opinion may differ, and that’s fine. Take my opinion for what it’s worth. If it’s worth nothing to you, feel free
to discard it. Opinions are
subjective, and mine is as valid (or as invalid) as any other.
I very much liked the
performance. The actors were all
very capable, and the child actors were especially so. The set was eye popping. When the backdrop lit up, I literally
sat up straight in my seat. The
technical effects were impressive; it snowed on stage. The lighting was imaginative. Director Christy Montour Larson is a
gifted director who has had an outstanding 2012 (see, for example, “9 Circles” and “Red”), and “The Giver”
has her personal touch. This is,
in every sense, a production of the quality we all expect from the Denver
Center Theatre Company (DCTC).
That said, though, I have
reservations. Those reservations
are principally related to the script, over which the DCTC has no control.
I may be old fashioned, but
dystopian works, be they novels or plays, are more appropriate, in my view, for
adults than children. It’s not
that I have a problem with children being exposed to subjects that require
critical thinking on complicated subjects. Quite the contrary, children should be encouraged early on
to think outside the box and to challenge the world they will inherit.
My principle problem is that
“The Giver,” along with some other contemporary
dystopian works (for example, “The HungerGames”), involve the torture and/or murder of children. I realize that kids now see more
violence on TV and in video games than I’ve probably seen in my lifetime, but
that doesn’t comfort me. “The Giver” includes “releasing” a newborn
identical twin baby. Perhaps that
doesn’t disturb children, but it disturbed me.
The DCTC has designated “The Giver” as part of its Youth
Series. DCTC offered workshops and
study guides to teachers to help them effectively present “The Giver” to their students.
That’s a great service to teachers, but whether it’s a great service to
students is an open question for me.
That’s quite enough of my
reluctance to expose children to such unpleasant concepts. So here’s a final
thought about this script. I found
the last scene of the play abrupt, unexplained by the script, and
unsatisfying. Since I don’t do
spoilers, you’ll have to see or read “The
Giver” yourself to understand my objection.
If you are wondering if I
can recommend “The Giver,” the answer is yes. It’s a dynamite production of a script
I’m not crazy about. You may
disagree with my view of the script. If so,
you will definitely like this excellent DCTC production.
NOTES:
This show runs through
Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Director:
Christie Montour-Larson
Scenic Designer: Robert Mark Morgan
Cast:
Father: Timothy McCracken
Mother: Diana Dresser
Lily: Aliza Fassett/Amelia Modesitt
Jonas: Jackson Garske/Alastair Hennessy
Asher: Gabe Koskinen-Sansone/Evan Sullivan
Fiona: Brynn Gauthier/Isabel Sabbah
Chief Elder: Billie McBride
The Giver: Philip Pleasants
Voice of Speaker: Hilary Blair
No comments:
Post a Comment