Inventive Children of Eden from Drexel Hill Church Players

Theater: Drexel Hill Church Players
Show Title: Children of Eden
Opened: November 9, 2007
Seen: November 9, 2007
Reviewer: Ryan Bunch
Submitted: November 12, 2007

In his introduction to the Drexel Hill Church Players in the program for their production of Children of Eden, producer David O’Connell remarks that this theater group’s history is exemplified by the old Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney movies in which somebody has an uncle with a barn and realizes there’s only one thing to do: “Let’s put on a show!”

This production thoroughly embodies that spirit of enthusiasm. DHCP’s Children of Eden is community theater at its most electric, with wonderful energy and terrific performances on stage matched by a vocally enthusiastic crowd of friends, family and theater supporters in the audience.

The show itself is a good jumping off place for all of this. Children of Eden was written by Stephen Schwartz and John Caird for a youth theater camp in 1986, and the version performed today is adapted from that. It retains a freshness and playfulness that harks back to its origins, even when dealing with some serious issues in a revisionist telling of the first few chapters of Book of Genesis.

The show is in two acts, the first telling the story of Adam and Eve, the second that of Noah and the flood. The twist with this version of events is that knowledge and curiosity turn out to be virtuous rather than sinful. With some dramatic and thematic adjustments, it is the familiar story of the creation of the earth, the blissful yet ignorant time spent by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, their expulsion after eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and their subsequent struggles with raising a family in the wilderness, all while longing for approval from a loving but inflexible Father. Things come to a head when their older son Cain murders his younger brother Abel in a moment of rage. Father puts a curse on Cain’s lineage, setting the stage for act two, in which Father plans to destroy the world by flood, saving only Noah’s family—the sole family on earth with no heredity in the race of Cain. This plan to purify humanity hits a snag when Noah’s son Japheth is in love with the servant girl Yonah, who bears the mark of Cain’s curse. Traditionally, the two stories are presented with one cast. The actors who play Noah and his family in act two are the same ones who play Adam and Eve and the other characters in act one.

Among the innovations in DHCP’s production, the roles of the second act are played by different actors from the first, and why not? They have the talent to go around.

One result of this expansion of casting is that the burden of unity across the two acts falls even more heavily than usual on the actor portraying Father—the only character to appear in both acts. Fortunately, Michael Mallon is up to the task. He has the stage presence to play Father with weight and surety, but also with flaws and finally with vulnerability.

The rest of the cast is strong, too. Teen thespians Jake Ahlquist and Grace Tarves are fresh faced and wide eyed as Adam and Eve. Their earnestness and teen idol looks suit the parts well in the early part of act one, in the innocent time before the eating of the fruit. As heavier themes of loss, betrayal, and parental grief emerge later in the act, these youngsters must dig deep to communicate levels of angst known mostly to life’s veterans. Both are good performers with light, lyrical voices to match each other.

Dan Matarazzo stands out as Cain, the impetuous son who takes after his inquisitive mother. He is one of the best all around singing actors in the show, with a powerful and pitch-perfect singing voice. Andrew Goebel plays Noah with impressive depth and maturity, and Kevin Dietzler is a natural actor with a classic leading man’s baritone as Japheth.

As Yonah, Nancy Furey has a most unique voice, with a haunting timbre and trembling vibrato. In a refreshing departure from the standard musical theater sound, she brings her own style to “Stranger to the Rain.”

Louise DeNight (Mama Noah) turns in another of the evening’s most striking vocal performances. Her rendition of the gospel song “Ain’t it Good,” is a bit on the operatic side, but it works for her. She wisely makes this song her own while resisting the temptation of a lesser singer to get sloppy with pitches on this type of number. It is “good,” and it brings down the house.

As for the chorus, it not only sounds great, but also lives up to its most essential task—maintaining the momentum of the show. The chorus members understand the importance of helping to move a scene or story and are engaged and expressive at every moment. In company numbers they sing, dance and act with exuberance. The musical direction by Edward Pierson, IV, is strong, and the band plays well under his leadership.

What ultimately holds this show together, however is director Jason Michael’s visionary directing and the artistic team’s success in bringing it to the stage. The opening number pulls one in instantly with liberal use of lighting effects and whimsical visuals in depiction of the creation. Colorful animal cutouts dance across the stage as the chorus sings “Let There Be.” The Tree of Knowledge sparkles in a fantastically lit Garden of Eden. The theater at times is filled with a rainbow of animal costumes, and if you look carefully you’ll spot a unicorn or two among the more traditional fauna. The beautiful costumes and set designs fit into a well conceived color scheme, while technical effects and other surprises keep the audience gasping throughout. A real coup de theatre is achieved by creative use of the theater space in the transition to the interior of Noah’s ark.

The blocking is not only creatively designed to accommodate a great number of people in a small space, but more than that it, is thoughtful and meaningful, as at one moment when Father and Adam stand facing Eve in a patriarchal formation as Father shakes a finger at her, and Adam emulates. Poses and hand gestures at various points seem to suggest the “hear no evil, see no evil” image of the three wise monkeys—appropriately, but without direct or obvious visual quotation.

The choreography by Abby Shunskis is similarly well-negotiated for the space. It is organic, expressive and well executed by the cast, always providing the right kind of energy for a scene and helping to tell the story. The dance for the actors portraying the Serpent is at once sharp and sinewy.

There isn’t a bad performance in the entire production, and the creative direction makes this a fun show, with some touching moments at the end made possible by the casting of separate actors in the traditionally doubled roles. With strong performances and inventive touches, DHCP’s Children of Eden is a delight for those who are already familiar with the musical as well as newcomers.

Children of Eden, performances Friday, November 16 and Saturday November 17 at 7:30pm, Drexel Hill United Methodist Church, 600 Burmont Road, Drexel Hill, PA. For tickets call 610-259-2104. Website at www.drexelhillumc.org.

Ryan Bunch is a vocal instructor, writer and composer specializing in musical theater and theater for young audiences. He has provided voice training, musical direction, songwriting, script development and educational services for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Center Stage Productions, Chichester School District, West Chester Summer Stage, Renaissance Artist Puppet Company, and the Players Board of Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School. For additional information visit www.ryanbunch.com.