Winston-Salem Journal Review - "Children of Eden"

Twin city Stage

Biblical stories sing in 'Children of Eden'

There are lots of people out there who've either never seen a live performance of musical theater or haven't attended one in years. Which show is best for them?


By KEN KEUFFEL | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: March 28, 2011

Twin City Stage makes a good case for "Children of Eden," which opened Friday at the Arts Council Theatre and will run there through April 10. I attended Sunday's show.

Congregations of churches and synagogues should flock to see "Children of Eden," as should families with young children, especially those who have read or heard the most popular stories in the Bible.

Twin City Stage

Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for "Children of Eden," and John Caird the book. The show dramatizes several familiar parts of the Genesis story, including the Creation; Noah (Art Bloom) and the Flood; and the stories of Adam (Justin Hall) and Eve (Amanda Martin). The tale of Cain and Abel is also retold.

Some liberties are taken in the retelling of these stories, but not enough to alter the most important basics.

We sympathize with Father, aka God (Chuck King), who lays down the law only to find that his children either keep questioning said law or ignore it altogether because, well, that apple is just too tempting.

The first act of "Eden" takes us through Cain's murder of his brother and the hardscrabble wandering in the wilderness that the sins of Adam and Eve have unleashed. Act II is given over to Noah and the Flood. Each character convincingly shows his or her personal growth, and we better understand their difficult choices.

Twin City Stage

I liked the Flood parts of "Eden" the best. Here Bloom adopts the stereotypical mannerisms and accents of the Jewish ghetto to great comic effect. We're also prompted to sympathize with the plight of the passengers and animals of the ark. God, if the rain doesn't stop and dry land doesn't appear, our provisions will run out. Will we be forced to eat the animals on board?

Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics for "Godspell" and "Pippin," two Broadway success stories that revealed his mastery of the pop idiom.

In "Children of Eden," by contrast, I sense songwriting and choral music of greater range and ambition. Sure, the peppy sound of Broadway is frequently evident. But so is more potent and challenging ensemble writing that would be appropriate for opera or oratorio. The cast sings it well.

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KKeuffel@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7337

Children of Eden Cast

TWIN CITY STAGE Presents the Joyous Musical, Children of Eden

March 25-27; 31-April 3 ; 7-10, 2011

Twin City Stage enjoyed the largest turnout in the past decade during its auditions for the musical Children of Eden, which opens March 25 for a three-week run. More than 75 people showed up at the Arts Council Theatre on Coliseum Drive to win one of 40 parts in the cast. Not since the theater company did The Sound of Music has an audition drawn so much interest from the Triad community.               

The popular show features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell and Wicked) and book by John Caird (Les Misérables). Leading the TCS cast will be Jim Shover, director, Maggie Gallagher, music director, and Benji Starcher, the dance captain.

An award-winning director, Shover calls Children of Eden a “real spectacle” with an important message. As he describes that message, “We are here for each other.”

The story is based on a familiar book, Genesis. Act I presents the generational challenges that occur first between Father (Chuck King), Adam (Justin Hall) and Eve (Amanda Martin) and then between the world’s first parents and their sons Cain (Phillip Fullerton) and Abel (Joe Boles). In the second act, the same struggles are repeated between Noah (Art Bloom) and Mama Noah (Lalenja Harrington) and their sons Shem (Shane Fisher), Ham (Ray Pruett) and Japheth (Troy Wilson) and their wives Aphra (Elizabeth Barr), Aysha (Liz Townley) and Japheth’s intended, Yonah (Lauren Stephenson).

In addition to the inspiring message set to music, audiences will enjoy special effects that include  multiple actors moving in tandem as the Tree of Knowledge and as the Snake and, in the second act, a stage flooded and filled with Noah’s Ark.

Cast

FATHER Chuck King ADAM Justin Hall EVE Amanda Martin CAIN Phillip Fullerton ABEL Joe Boles YOUNG CAIN Britton Sear YOUNG ABEL Landry Bohn SETH Zachary Campbell SETH'S WIFE Ashley Bodford NOAH Art Bloom MAMA NOAH Lalenja Harrington JAPHETH Troy Wilson YONAH Lauren Stephenson HAM Ray Pruett AYSHA Liz Townley SHEM Shane Fisher APHRA  Miriam Davie  SNAKE Benji Starcher Miriam Davie Karen Fullerton Rioghnach Robinson John Parsons Tyler Harmon-Townsend

STORYTELLERS: Sally Lindel Angela Hodges Abby Kelpin Carol Simes Hailey Lewis Charity Hampton Miles Stanley Justin Attkisson Ryan Chan Jacob Peller Gary Freedman CHILDRENS ENSEMBLE: Annalisa Ebbink Cardari Lee Justin Harrington