Children of Eden is a challenging show for a community group to stage, but Scarborough Music Theatre pulled it off producing a musical that was as mezmerizing as it was memorable.
This show is full of big things; big themes, big roles and in this case, also full of compelling performances with a cast that boasted incredible talent both in their acting and singing abilities.
Children of Eden, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwarz and based on a book by John Caird, retells the stories of Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark but by no means does it exclude anyone.
Told in a way relatable to all, this show explores the complexities of relationships and the tough decisions people must make. The situations the characters are faced with, and the feelings they have to sort through, are universal to all religions and cultures.
Father (John Mallet) has decided he needs children so he creates Adam (Daniel Gouveia) and Eve (Georgia Grant) and the Garden of Eden for them to live in. They are put to the task of naming bugs and animals and creating words, but while Adam seems content to do that, Eve is full of questions and is curious about everything around her.
While Father cautions her to be content, Eve cannot seem to forget about the gleaming fruit tree in the distance that she was told specifically not to touch. After an amazing jazz number, In Pursuit of Excellence with five ladies as the Snake encouraging her to do it, Eve bites into a juicy apple.
This single action sets in motion a chain of events that garners huge consequences and tough decisions, including Adam having to choose between Eve and Father, being banished to the wasteland, and consequently, her own son Cain (Sergio Calderon) making a similar defiant decision to leave home, but not before he accidently kills his brother Abel (Micky Myers).
We see the same themes repeated in the second act where Noah (Gouveia) and his wife (Grant) are given the task of gathering their family and the animals onto their ark, but their son Japheth (Sergio Calderon) defies his father and smuggles Yonah (Lisa Metzger), the daughter of Cain, onto the ark when it was strictly forbidden.
The entire story is moved along with the help of the 12 storytellers who really succeeded in creating the atmosphere in the ensemble song and dance numbers that ranged from an African-type number, to gospel, to uplifting and lively songs, while also playing mutiple roles each.
The use of masks and multiple costumes in this show was incredibly creative and made for many awe-inspiring scenes such as The Naming where the storytellers became the animals that Adam and Eve are asked to name.
Many of the songs in this show were challenging, but with the help of a phenomenal orchestra, the cast sang beautifuly, especially in numbers such as The Spark of Creation where Grant owned the stage, ensemble number Children of Eden and Calderon's and Metzger's powerful solo numbers, Lost in the Wilderness and Stranger to the Rain.
While the show is two-and-a-half hours long, it is so visually appealing that times flies.
Overall, Children of Eden is an amazing, must-see show with fantastic performances.
Children of Eden's remaining shows are Feb. 20, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Feb. 21 and 27, Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $24 and $20 for students and seniors on Thursdays and Sundays only. For tickets please call 416-267-9292.