Ever since Eve tasted the Fruit of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, all humans have been faced with choices; choices which signify our freedom, yet choices which lead to pain. This was the theme highlighted by the musical, ‘Children of Eden’, first staged professionally in 1991. The end of March saw its Midlands amateur premiere, at the splendid Dovehouse Theatre at Langley School, presented by SMASH. The complex vocal arrangement provided a major challenge, but the skilled musical direction by Peter Farndon, and overall direction by Sheila Tallon, proved more than equal to it.

This vibrant and moving musical retold the familiar Genesis accounts of the Creation, the Fall, Cain and Abel, and Noah’s Ark. But this production was no ‘tea-towels on head’ affair. SMASH dispensed with conventional costumes, scenery and props, using instead minimal staging, and maximising the cast’s talent in conveying the images of the story through movement and gesture. The narrative, consisting of almost continuous music, flowed seamlessly, linked by recurring themes and motifs. The story is told by the chorus, the ‘generations of Adam’.

A strong group of principals emerged from and then blended back into the group of story-tellers as the tale progressed. ‘Children of Eden’ includes traditionally heart-warming moments – younger cast members running onstage as animals at the Creation, joy at the end of the flood, but also raises moving and unusual questions on a well-known and traditional story, such as Adam’s choice of Eve over God and Noah’s difficulty in leaving friends to die when he boarded his ark. The audience were captivated by moments such as the serpent’s slippery dance, delighted by the animals, and then close to tears at the death of Eve.

‘Children of Eden’, with its beautiful, memorable music, and complex and joyful moments was highly successful and thank you to everyone who supported us.

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Photographs (please click on a photograph for a larger image)

146 And father breathed life into his children	168 And the cleverest of the animals was the snake	178 Adam and Eve, you must leave the garden
180 Adam and his sons, Cain and Abel	191 Eve and the Children of Eden	198 The generations of Adam
211 The animals prepare to enter the ark	219 Yonah and Japeth In whatever time we have	230 Noah and Family – For such a time as this
225 Sailor of the skies: Yonah and the dove	236 Ain’t it good to see the sun again!	245 The promise

Text and photographs © SMASH 2004