Review: CHILDREN OF EDEN Amazes with The Beginning of Time

This past weekend, the Clay High School Fine Arts Department presented Children of Eden, a musical based off the first nine chapters of the Book of Genesis. With the music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and the book by John Caird, you already know going in that the music and story will be great and it's just the interpretation of the material that could either succeed or fail; Clay High School more than succeeded, it thrived. Combined with the direction of Meghan Beard and an incredibly talented starring cast, Children of Eden was phenomenal.

The choice of show was perfect for Clay; the cast was large, accommodating their huge talent pool, and there were a few meatier acting and singing roles, allowing for some students to really shine. There were three incredible actors who had the immense responsibility of playing some of the more profound roles in the musical. Through their musical talents and acting abilities, James Johnson, Mitchell Simmons, and Myah Englebrecht really carried Children of Eden in its immense display of talent and grandeur and truly made it the elite production it was. All three actors seemed like veterans in their performance choices, showing a maturity far beyond their years being able to portray such a vast range of emotions from each of their characters. James Johnson played Father, the creator of time and everything else. Johnson, besides having a powerful voice, was impressive because of his ability to never stop acting, even when singing haunting solos. Johnson always sang with personality and emotion, constantly conveying his character's complex feelings through song. Johnson also beautifully performed the juxtaposition of a "father" who is both tender and forceful. Mitchell Simmons had the enormous task of playing two entirely different characters, Adam, the first man, and Noah, the legendary ark builder. What was great about Simmons was his ability to differentiate between his two characters; Adam and Noah didn't feel the same, even though they share seemingly similar stories. Simmons, regardless of what character he was playing or what emotion his characters were experiencing, fully committed and embraced each moment. The success of each character's portrayal is a testament to Simmons talent. Myah Englebrecht also played two characters, Eve, the first woman, and Mama, Noah's wife. Englebrecht has an unforgettable voice and caused the audience to break out into riotous applause and standing ovations more than once during the production. Englebrecht has the makings of a true professional; she was precise and crisp in every movement and line delivery. When Englebrecht performs, as I have seen her in past productions, there is never a hair out of place, a note not perfectly hit, or an emotion too profound to depict.

When the entire cast sang together, the power on stage was booming. It was loud and stunning, and added an intense backdrop to any action on stage. The ensemble was the cherry on top of the sundae for this production; without them, a lot of the strength behind the show would be missing. They were the force that either upped the jubilance on stage or the fear and anxiety. Yes, Children of Eden was hilarious, uplifting, joyful and sweet, but it also had some very dark moments with some very heavy themes. This to me proves even more so the remarkable capabilities and talents of the cast. To be able to take a musical like Children of Eden that touches on so many weighty topics in both comical and solemn ways, and make it seamless and entertaining, speaks volumes to their talents, and to their director, Meghan Beard.

There are hundreds of other little things that I could mention in this article that made Children of Eden a spectacular production. The show had all the trappings of an emotional roller-coaster, the kind that leaves you exhausted from all the loops and turns, but thankful and gratified for the ride. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into creating the production and giving it the top-notch feel it so obviously had. The work paid off, because Children of Eden was incredible to watch.

Photo Credit: Cindy Adamsson

 

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