Review: THE GIVER at Omaha Community Playhouse

THE GIVER, a play adapted by Eric Coble, from the 1994 Newberry Award Winning novel by Lois Lowry is a masterful vehicle for telling the compelling tale about a utopian society. There is no pain, worry or war in this place which is also devoid of color, music and memory. The elements of euthanasia, infanticide and suicide are gently introduced to the theatre goer by a brilliant piece of literature so beautifully portrayed by the cast of Omaha Community Playhouse. There is no shock factor of these themes as the actors introduce these facts of daily life in their society. The stage is simply dressed with tones of grey in every aspect from the moving pieces representing the places, to props that enter and exit with economy and ease and the costumes, artfully created by Lindsey Pape.

From the opening moments of the play when the father, played by Giovanni Rivera with a loving and nurturing manner poses the question,"Who wants to be the first tonight for feelings?" Lilly, played by Madeline Scarsi, quite clearly articulates "I felt angry this afternoon..."and then calmly recounts a frustration that occurred at school that day to her family, and it is clear that this is a society that is very controlled. Lily's brother Jonas, played by Stella Clark-Kaczmarek is a confident and clear-minded youth, about to discover his life's vocation. Miss Clark-Kaczmarek portrays the young man with sensitivity and intelligence and a compassionate heartfelt demeanor.

We are introduced to the Chief Elder, portrayed by Ree Davis-Stone, who is quite commanding in her role and sets the audience on edge as she doles out the fate of these children with no input from them on their desires or aspirations. In this society there is no room for those things. When she reveals that Jonas is selected to be the next Giver, there is an electricity in this unanticipated outcome of the ceremony.

When Jonas meets the Giver, played by Cork Ramer, it is immediately evident that this assignment is a grave and onerous responsibility. Mr. Ramer's voice is commanding and clear, articulate and consoling to a degree. He alone understands what is in store for Jonas and bears the weight of passing the memories to him with great compassion.

The audience is introduced to color through select props and projections on the screens and there were times that this viewer was mentally reminded of the horrors occurring in our own modern society. I made a mental note to send another donation to World Central Kitchen for the people of Ukraine.

The entire cast of this production is a gifted ensemble of actors and Lisa Kerekes, the guest director, has created a thoughtful and strong production in this presentation of THE GIVER. Tickets are available at the box office by phone at 402-553-0800, or online at TICKETOMAHA.com. The 2022-2023 season for Omaha Community Playhouse is exciting in it's range of opportunities for actors and audiences. I would advise theatre patrons and art lovers to take advantage of the compelling offerings they have for creating a subscription to this premiere performance venue.

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