Opening day of The Giver, Adventure Stage’s latest offering, was fantastic. Check out our full set of post show photos here, including the Q & A and the Cupcake Social Afterparty.
Newberry Award winning author, Lois Lowry, flew in for the first show and graciously signed books for a lengthy line of fans at the cupcake social after the show.We have fond memories of Gossamer, another Adventure Stage/ Lois Lowry adaptation they produced in Nov./Dec. 2009.
We’d been reading The Giver out loud as a family and it was truly magical to see the book transformed to stage in such an adept way. The baby, Gabriel, was effectively portrayed by a puppet, and the monochromatic, grey, distopia provided the perfect back drop for this cautionary tale. Highly recommended.Recommended for ages 9+. Nobody under 5 will be admitted. Playing through April 26.
Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the cast. The show we went to had a talkback with Lowrie and the cast. You can see the video on Chill Mama’s website. You can also see a video of Tom Arvetis, Adventure Stage’s producing artistic director, talking about the show and balancing parenting with creative work.
Du-Jay was a bit disappointed that Lois Lowry didn’t answer his two questions, after the audience was invited to continue the Q & A at the after party. She may have been a bit hard of hearing, as she initially said, “What?I can’t hear you.” He did repeat the questions.Or maybe she though they were too esoteric to quickly address in a lengthy signing line, so she just ignored them. No explanation was given, just silence. So we’re left wondering, “How did they take away the sun and therefore all color?” and “Why did the memories return to the people if Jonas wasn’t dead, but just walked a distance away? How far did he need to be?”
Otherwise, she was pleasant and posed for a shot with the kids.We purchased seven of her books from The Book Cellar, who had a convenient table at the reception, and left our well worn thrift copy of The Giver in the car. The kids were elated to have her sign their set of books for posterity, even if they were left hanging in the answer department.We’re presently reading and enjoying the sequel to The Giver, Gathering Blue.
THE GIVER runs through April 26, 2012. All shows performed at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. Tickets run $12-$20. Call (773)342-4141 or visit www.adventurestage.org.
