If you are alarmed at the state of culture when whether you are a 'Carrie' or a 'Samantha' starts well-informed debate at nearly any table, don't gather your canned-goods and head for the doomsday bunker just yet; deciding whether you are a 'Tom' or a 'Huck' can still spark just as much keen discussion. This month, the Repertory Theatre keeps Mark Twain's enduring cultural lynch-pin on top of the zeitgeist with a brand new adaptation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer through Dec 23rd.

Last Friday night, I took my place with the Rep crowd under the entry canopy and funnelled through to the lobby's refreshment area to the dimmed theater within thinking about those favorite childhood buddies who made you late for dinner, coming home to parents' crossed arms and cross expressions with grass stains on your knees and strange things in your pockets. How well Tom's adventures capture that elemental childhood awareness of perpetually growing to be the biggest, oldest, and wisest you've ever been, and the heartbreaking sincerity and earnestness (and humor) that comes with that knowledge in so many children. I couldn't wait to see that come alive on stage.

Promptly at 8 p.m., the crew's silhouettes scurried busily from view, the stage lights rose and the crowd's voices fell, revealing a spartan but vibrant set: an aged picket fence, yellow stalks of wheat and blue sky. Tom and Huck were playing hooky from school. From here on, the young audience audibly delighted in the many (often dubious) treasures of youth Tom and his friends present, from brass doorknobs as love-tokens, to dead animals as currency, to the pursuit of love, freedom and honor--to the knowledge of darker things like betrayal and murder.

I couldn't resist turning in my seat more than once to try to locate the child who had squealed at Tom and his gang's bratty antics. Tom and Becky's first kiss got intergenerational smiles. Even the music (banjo and electric guitar?) has a singular cheekiness, and the music and sound effects together form a continuous soundtrack that creates a nearly film-like atmosphere.

But it is not all foibles and laughs. When Tom has a nightmare that the murderous "Injun Joe" stalks and kills his friends and family, some slouched pre-teen spines snapped to attention as a terrific slasher spray of blood spattered across Tom's bedroom window, through which Injun Joe's ominous silhouette is visible.

It makes for a charming night out for any person who once was or still is a kid. So, thanks for the reminder, Rep: I have a long-overdue date with the book, a flashlight, a tent made of blankets, and my inner child.

Please click here to find detailed ticketing and contact information for the theatre's current and upcoming shows or call 314-968-4925.