PEOPLES PLAYHOUSE PRESENT CHILDREN OF EDEN
And on the eighth day, Steven Schwartz said, “Let there be a musical, and it shall be called Children of Eden”. The musical, loosely inspired by The Bible, is a show with a cult following in the community theatre scene around the world, and is due to be presented by People’s Playhouse this month.
Children of Eden takes on some of The Bibles biggest stories, from Adam and Eve and the story of creation, to Noah and his ark, and combined with the music and lyrics by Steven Schwartz and book by John Caird, it creates a show with deep themes of family, love, loss and the “spark of creation”.
Theatre People spoke to three of the talented and energetic principal cast about the rehearsal process, and the challenges and unique features of Children of Eden.
For Jacqui Moore, this production has been a warm welcome back to the stage. After taking a break from theatre, Moore has taken on the roles of Eve and Mama Noah, two of the show’s most pivotal, and beautiful female roles.
“My connection to both of these women is their strength and their undying loyalty and support towards the people they love. It’s been an absolute joy getting to know these characters and figuring out what makes them tick.”
One of the biggest challenges for these actors is the use of dual casting that has become synonymous with Children of Eden. The musical, structured into two acts, with each having somewhat separate storylines, is tightly linked by the underlying themes of the show. The audience is brought up to date on the passing of time with act two’s opening number, “Generations”.
For Moore, this has been her biggest challenge, but it has also given the cast an opportunity to look deeper into the script.
“Though Eve and Mama Noah are different characters, there needs to be a connection or reflection between the two. It’s been really challenging discovering the differences and similarities between these two women. It’s been a great experience.”
Joel Norman-Hade, who plays the dual roles of Cain and Japeth, sees the doubling of principal cast as an important tool to deliver some of the shows key messages and key themes of family, love and forgiveness.
“I play Cain and Japeth, two characters who are wide-eyed and optimistic about what the future holds and eager to explore life’s possibilities. They’re not afraid to challenge conventions or question authority and they’re determined to live life on their own terms.”
As a Steven Schwartz fan, Norman-Hade saw the opportunity to try this show too good to pass up, having previously worked on two of his favourite Schwartz shows, Pippin and Godspell.
“I absolutely adore the score in this show, it is without doubt one of the more challenging scores I’ve seen! This show has really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It took me an awfully long time before I felt things really starting to click into place for me.”
Norman-Hade also relates to the show on a personal level.
“As a parent, I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the recurrent themes in the show. The show focuses heavily on the family unit and how we grow and develop as parents, and how we try to preserve our children’s innocence, ultimately in vain. We then watch our children make the same mistakes we did and these things happen as a result of our human nature. Try as we might, we can’t shield our loved ones from it.”
Speaking of children, People’s Playhouse has chosen to present the show with a children’s choir, which has become both a highlight and a challenge for the cast.
Moore says, “I think my favourite part of the show is the return of the animals, which showcases our incredibly talented children’s choir.”
For Michael Laity, who plays Adam and Noah, the children’s choir has become his most frustrating, but also his favourite part of the show.
“How can you go past the amazing innocence of a child’s first steps on the stage, wow!”
Laity, a fan of the show for over 10 years now, may have admitted his days of playing young tenor Cain and Japeth may be over, but this hasn’t stopped him throwing himself into the journey that characters Adam and Noah go on throughout the show.
“I came across this show back in 2000 when I was handed the cast recording and immediately I fell in love with it. I was excited to try my hand at the youthful and naïve Adam as he goes on his emotional roller coaster of a journey during the first act,” he says.
“In the second act, as Noah, I found there was real emotional complexity on what these men had to deal with throughout their lives. One common theme that runs throughout the show for both characters is the love and loyalty they feel for their families and this is one area that I am carrying through to real life.”
There is a reason Children of Eden has a “religious” following in community theatre groups around the world. An important story of growing up, from childhood to adulthood, and a story with such strong heart, it is both uplifting and tear jerking at the same time. With an incredible score, audiences have much to look forward to from the Peoples Playhouse production of Children of Eden.
The show runs Friday 3rd July until Saturday 11th of July, for seven shows only at the Cranbourne Community Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
This article first appeared at: http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/peoples-playhouse-present-children-of-eden/ on 02 July 2015.