Norm Lewis and Deborah Cox in Children of Eden

[silent]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 12:58pm

Arcada Theatre has announced that Deborah Cox will be taking on the role of Eve/Mama in the upcoming production of Children of Eden, set to open in the summer of 2021.

Cox will be joining previously announced cast members, Tony-nominee, Norm Lewis, award-winning gospel artist, David Phelps, and America's Got Talent finalist, Brian Justin Crum. Children of Eden's award-winning artistic team includes: Stephen Schwartz (Music and Lyrics); John Caird (Book); Brenda Didier (Director/Choreographer); Christopher Carter (Co-Choreographer); Jermaine Hill (Music Director); Tom Vendafredo (Choral Director); Alexander Ridgers (Lighting); Kevan Loney (Projection Design); and Jeff Kmiec (Scenic Design). The production will be produced through a special arrangement between the Chicagoland Theatre Fund and Onesti Entertainment.

[L_Ash826]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 3:27pm

Wow, so exciting!! Deborah Cox is going to be amazing in this role.

[zainmax]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 4:13pm

Good casting for a low-profile theater.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 4:34pm

I would watch Deborah Cox read the phone book.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 8:05pm

Solid cast.

While I loved Cox in AIDA and thought she really knocked it out of the park, I felt her run in J&H totally miscast her vocally.  

I saw her do the tour and bring it into the city:  Every time I watched her, the acting was great, but her ability to sustain vocally was wobbly.  She'd cut/stop phrasing, drop the end-notes, which should be thrilling, but ended up feeling strained.  It was clear she was trying to muscle through the show and it couldn't have been easy on her voice.

J&H is one of those rare shows that was written for a specific voice and to this day, no one has sung these songs quite like Linda Eder. 

[latitudex1]

Posted: 6/1/20 at 9:45pm

BenjaminNicholas2 said: "Solid cast.

While I loved Cox in AIDA and thought she really knocked it out of the park, I felt her run in J&H totally miscast her vocally.

I saw her do the tour and bring it into the city: Every time I watched her, the acting was great, but her ability to sustain vocally was wobbly. She'd cut/stop phrasing, drop the end-notes, which should be thrilling, but ended up feeling strained. It was clear she was trying to muscle through the show and it couldn't have been easy on her voice.

J&H is one of those rare shows that was written for a specific voice and to this day, no one has sung these songs quite like Linda Eder."

As an aside, every female part Frank Wildhorn writes seems to be written specifically for Linda Eder. Kate Shindle does a good job navigating those roles usually.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 6/2/20 at 11:20am

Some friends and I who did Children of Eden in early 2019 were planning a reunion type trip just to see this production in Chicago. Sadly it’s been postponed a year (like many things), but this casting will surely be worth the wait. If I wasn’t already excited to see Norm, Deborah is the icing on the cake.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 6/2/20 at 5:41pm

latitudex1 said: "As an aside, every female part Frank Wildhorn writes seems to be written specifically for Linda Eder. Kate Shindle does a good job navigating those roles usually."

 

You wouldn't be incorrect.  LOL.  She was his muse for a good, long time.

Shindle can hit the notes of Wildhorn, but comparing her version of Mad Hatter to Eder's, there's just something well-placed and more rich about Eder's vocal.  Shindle can get shrill at the top of her belt.

I also love that Eder's concert arrangement of it is more jazzy without leaving out the 'wow' notes as written.

 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/20/22 at 5:13pm

So, this concert finally happened in Chicago last weekend, although it didn’t have Norm Lewis and Deborah Cox. David Phelps and Michelle Williams led the cast instead. It has just been revealed the performance was recorded for streaming next year for a limited time. They also announced in the article their intentions to produce a full scale production which is set to be premiere late next year. Any ideas where? 

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/20/22 at 9:12pm

I’m sure it was fantastic at least vocally. I’ve never heard any of Phelps’s contemporary Christian material, but his Christmas song about stalking Santa Claus is gloriously demented and makes it into my playlist every year.