This past weekend, McConomy Auditorium was home to God, Adam, Eve, Noah, and other biblical characters, most singing in near perfect harmony. For Homecoming weekend, the student-run Scotch'n'Soda Theatre chose a somewhat unconventional and contemporary musical, Children of Eden. Though falling short of an actual unearthly presence, this production by the any-major-may-participate theater organization was a well-presented hit.

Written in the early 1990s by Carnegie Mellon alum Steven Schwartz, Children of Eden is a two-part musical that exhibits an interesting and unique interpretation of biblical events. By exercising a great deal of subjective interpretation, and in some cases freely deviating from the biblical plotline, the performance conveys many universal themes such as family, commitment, anger, and greed. Guided by the stories of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel, and, in the play's second act, Noah and the flood, Children of Eden articulates the complexities of social conflict within close families and communities.

The tale is told as several successive stories which are similar in conflict and events. These conflicts deal primarily with children struggling with constraints created by their parents, and examine the complexity of such social issues. As Kami Smith, play director and HSS junior, described, the play deals with "complex simplicity and a feeling of community and family." The unconventional story of the play aids in tying the audience's interest to these themes. In this respect, the musical does a very good job at examining a difficult conflict in a relatively transparent way.

Most of the actors were not drama majors. Instead, the main roles were filled by a diverse group of rather talented performers. Playing God, IT Master's student Keith Smith sang about the family and social drama that would ensue. He was joined by Adam/Noah, SHS junior Simon Hucko, and Eve/Noah's wife, CIT junior Carmen Jones. The actors' delivery was well rehearsed, and all of the main players in the performance communicated very well with each other on stage. Although the set and the props were not as elaborate as those of Drama School productions like Lysistrata, they framed the biblical wonderland of the story in a simple and effective way. Together, these "amateur" components delivered a very professional performance.

Elaborating biblical topics requires an interesting interpretation to capture and maintain audience intrigue, an interpretation that Kami Smith hopes to have successively transposed onto the stage. As she described, "We are really making this story that some consider archaic come alive for our audiences." She believed that the lessons about community and family should be particularly pertinent to viewers. Schwartz's creation, while in some instances repetitive, makes its message clear and embeds a conventionally boring story in a lively and compelling performance. Scotch'n'Soda embraced that story very passionately.

The prevailing quality of the performance was particularly good. The rather contemporary musical proved an effective performance to port to the form of a college production. Check out Scotch'n'Soda's upcoming shows and events at their website.

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CIT junior Carmen Jones belts out a solo as she plays Eve in Scotch'n'Soda's "Children of Eden."	At the suggestion of the Snake, Eve, played by CIT junior Carmen Jones, bites into an apple from the Tree of Knowledge.
HSS freshman Alex Andrews, who played Cain and Japeth in "Children of Eden," dips one of the chorus members during an intricate dance sequence.	During the second act of Scotch'n'Soda's production of "Children of Eden," animals gather to board Noah's ark.
The chorus in "Children of Eden" played many roles, including storytellers, the Tree of Knowledge, and Noah's menagerie.	In Scotch'n'Soda's "Children of Eden," SHS junior Simon Hucko plays both Adam and Noah.
CIT junior Carmen Jones leads the cast of Scotch'n'Soda's "Children of Eden" in song.

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