Boy, the Almighty sure knows how to make an entrance! Before our eyes, he creates the world and paradise, breathes life into his children, sets the rules, metes out the punishments. Through the first generations, concluding with Noah's sons, we watch God withdrawing from his creation. John Caird's audacious book, playful and penetrating, presumes to tell why the withdrawal occurs. Through his interaction with mankind, God comes to terms with the fact that his children will disobey and displease him -- and develop their own concepts of right and wrong. Bluntly put, God learns parenting skills.
As soon as you hear the voice of the divine Father and the entire company in the opening "Let There Be," you realize you're in the presence of glory. Still, when Eve goes uptempo with "The Spark of Creation," we feel relieved that the sacred isn't going to totally smother the spontaneous. Then the serpent's temptation is rendered in jazzy five-part harmony, reassuring us that levity will be deftly mixed with melodrama.
Tom Vance misses none of the nuances directing this massive musical, casting brilliantly. There is overpowering richness in every note that Stephen Ware sings as the Father -- and divine weight in every gesture. By contrast, Richard Fromm and Allison Spratt are light as air, capturing the innocent vitality of Adam and Eve. Thomas Mothershed and Deborah Rhodes are equally attuned to the depth and maturity of Noah and spouse, while Kyle Villella humanizes -- and effectively links -- two stubborn individualists, Cain and Japeth. Bob Croghan surpasses himself in his production design. Crowning his wonders is the wicker-clad cavalcade of animals converging at the ark.
Children of Eden stands out for its authentic evocation of the power and glory of God. There has rarely been an more searching exploration of God's fatherhood.
