There is no better feeling than being totally surprised by a
theatre production. I had no idea what to expect with Children of Eden. It was
the WAAPA second year musical theatre students’ first standalone musical after
their public debut earlier in the year (the play Beach) and sterling support of
the third years in West Side Story. I am not a religious person so the prospect
of an overt retelling of sections of the Bible left me somewhat cold. The
Enright Studio is also my least favourite venue at the Mount Lawley campus tending,
on occasion, to be a little cramped seating wise.
I’m happy to report that any reservations I had disappeared
almost immediately in what turned out to be a spectacular production. The
second years were uniformly excellent; it is a beautiful score with wonderful
songs; and the venue was comfortably configured and used to maximum effect. I walked away with a real sense of the ‘wow’ factor hence my delighted
surprise.
The story is familiar even to someone as unschooled in the
Bible as me – the First Act is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden who are
subsequently cast into the Wasteland when they defy ‘Father’ and eat fruit from
the Tree of Knowledge. The Second Act is Noah and the great flood. What I
didn’t expect is how much good-natured humour there is throughout. The themes
of free will versus (parental) control, unconditional love, compassion,
forgiveness and ultimately letting go so that your children, however you want
to define that term, can exercise their own choices are universal and there is
nothing preachy at all here. It is a joyous recounting of iconic tales
that have survived for two millennia.
I particularly liked the parallels as first Adam then Noah assumes
the de facto ‘Father’ mantle of their respective families and the hard earned lessons
that lead to forgiveness and love. Another key aspect is that a completely
different cast of performers is featured in each Act which gives everyone a
chance to shine. And shine they do…
Father is played by Matthew Hyde, a towering figure in a
sharp white suit who is genial and kind to his children Adam (Daniel Ridolfi)
and Eve (Baylie Hemming) as they discover the joys of the Garden. That
benevolence turns to consternation then wrath as they defy him. Hyde plays both
sides of that coin well and is aided in his rage by great lighting and sound
effects as he curses Cain and later in the Second Act brings the thunder and
rain.
Hemming is the impulsive ‘spark of creativity’ as she
quizzes Father relentlessly and is first to fall to the seductive charms of the
Snake and partake of the forbidden fruit. She does well with the difficult The Spark of Creation but it’s in the
final number of the First Act, Children
of Eden that Hemming excels.
Ridolfi is a warm Adam with a lovely singing voice who
calmly and implacably believes Father will return to take them away from the
Wasteland. A World Without You where
he proclaims his love for Eve even if it means joining her in exile is a
highlight.
We soon meet a playful young Abel (Harrison Prouse) and a
sullen young Cain (Joe Meldrum) subsequently played as teenagers by Morgan
Palmer and Chris Wilcox respectively. Wilcox, in particular, gives a physical and
forceful performance as he challenges Adam and ultimately Father. He exploded
into action in the second half of the First Act and added a rock flavour in his
singing and posture. The death of Abel at his hands is well handled and the
darkest point of the tale.
The other significant presence is the Snake, a sensational
six-headed ssynthesissss of sensuousnesssssss and sssssslinkinessssss as sssimulated
by Tayla Jarrett, Taryn Ryan, Kate Thomas, Rosabelle Elliott, Jess Phillippi
and Megan Kozak. Their tempting of Eve is downright playful and sexy.
After the interval Megan Kozak warms up the audience as
she’s featured in the boisterous Generations.
Then it’s time for Noah (Jacob Dibb) to assume the father mantle as he guides
his wife Mamma (Heather Manley) and sons Japeth (Joel Granger), Ham (Callum
Sandercock) and Shem (Alex Thompson) through the perils of arranged marriage
and, of course, the building of the ark. Japeth incurs the wrath of the family
when he chooses to wed Yonah (Matilda Moran) who is marked as the line of Cain
and therefore seen to be utterly unsuitable.
Granger and Moran’s duet In
Whatever Time We Have echoes A World
Without You and is another highlight. Moran also features with Stranger to the Rain and was most
impressive in the acting stakes as Yonah becomes the unlikely catalyst for compassion
and healing as the situation becomes desperate on the ark. In fact this whole
sequence is nicely acted with Dibb’s work pivotal and Rosabelle Elliott and
Jess Phillippi rounding out the main cast as Aphra and Aysha respectively.
Then there’s Heather Manley who blew the doors off the joint
with a blistering rendition of the gospel flavoured Ain’t It Good. Even the ensemble seemed impressed as they were all
smiles responding to the vocal fireworks. It ends with the entire cast singing In The Beginning which was a fitting and
emotional finale to a great show that had so many other highlights even in
small moments like Sandercock’s vocal work as Adam and Eve enter the Wasteland.
I must mention the atypical setup that had three rows of seating
along both of the long walls of the Enright Studio facing each other. This
meant the performers were in very close proximity as they used the entire length
of the narrower stage space. At times they were even behind those rows
singing in what I overheard one audience member describe as “surround sound” –
a nice effect. Finally, the band of Derek Bond (piano), Alex Barker (bass) and
Ellenor Pereira (drums) who were tucked away in a corner was excellent and I really
enjoyed the beautiful piano driven score.
Directed by Adam Mitchell with a Book by John Caird, Music
and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, Musical Direction by Derek Bond and featuring
the second year musical theatre students and the three piece band of Bond,
Barker and Pereira, Children of Eden is a wonderful piece of musical theatre
that is uplifting and beautifully delivered. A must see with only 5 more performances
until 18 October 2014.
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