Children of Eden
Produced by Music Theatre On Location

Cast: Adam Scicluna, Damian Madden, Belinda Morris, Simon Brook-McLachlan, Kirk Webeck, Dave Russell, Daniel O'Connell, Kieran Lowe, Kate La Peyre, Christina Byrne, Jenni Wren, Matt Nelson, Danny Beiruti, Samantha Bartholemeusz, Benita De Wit, Alexandra Sabastian, Kate Campbell, Alexi Ditsas, Natalie Fenlon, Matthew Geronimi, Lyndell Harradine, Christopher Price, Melissa Tomic, Timara Pollicina, Renay Erickson.

Music and Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: John Caird
Director: Rob Martin

Publicist: Troy Dodds Enterprises

Production Premiere: Cumberland State Forest, West Pennant Hills NSW. March 16, 2005.


The Lowdown:
Children of Eden was the second offering by Music Theatre on Location, a Sydney based production company aiming to present musicals in outdoor locations. The show followed their production of Into The Woods at the Cumberland State Forest in 2004.


AussieTheatre.com Review:
The bush setting of Cumberland State Forest is the ideal location for a musical that recounts the Old Testament stories of Creation and the Flood. Using the woods as a natural backdrop and logs and stumps as props, Children of Eden presents these ancient stories in a contemporary, user-friendly fashion.

Composer Stephen Schwartz portrays these biblical stories as a series of family dramas. God is depicted as the weary Father of a race of willfully disobedient children whose rebelliousness is mirrored in the actions of their own children. The aim here is not high-brow theological debate, but simple didactic story telling. As such the production is best classified as family entertainment. There’s plenty of shimmering colour and movement to keep the youngsters entertained, and the stories are performed in such a way that the narrative won’t go over their heads.

The most memorable performance, appropriately, belongs to Adam Scicluna (Father). Scicluna is an accomplished baritone and he lends a certain gravity to proceedings. Other vocal standouts include Samantha Bartholomeusz (Mamma Noah), who leads a rousing gospel number towards the end of the production, and Danny Beiruti gives a relaxed, natural charm to the character of Noah. The many young performers in the chorus throw themselves into the roles of the various animals with gusto, each enthusiastically taking on the characteristics and mannerisms of various birds and beasties.

With a site like a State Forest to play with it would be hard to get the design wrong. Lighting designer John Grimshaw uses simple but effective illumination on the tree trunks to create a ghostly and primordial setting, while the leafy canopy overhead provides a natural screen on which to project storms and lightening. Props are minimal, with most of the production design being focused on the various costumes of both humans and animals.

One minor problem did occur with the sound balance, in that the orchestra occasionally drowned out the vocal performances. While difficulties of this kind are to be expected in an outdoor setting where conditions are often beyond your control, this little wrinkle will hopefully be ironed out during the season. For the most part this is a smart little production, and the enthusiasm of both cast and crew is palpable.


Production Shots:



Further Information:
Visit www.mtol.com.au