Children of Eden: A Review

Last night John and I went to the see the musical "Children of Eden" at BYU. I actually really liked it, with a few caveats. The costuming was amazing. There was a scene about Noah's ark where people were dressed up like animals and it was beautiful. They wore these cool mesh animal heads. I've never seen anything like it. And there was a lot of dancing and singing, both of which were really well done. The dancers were beautiful. I love watching dancing and I was fascinated. And the singers were very good as well. I love musicals so I thought it was great. And the staging was also very creative. It was inventive and original.

Now that I've said all the things that I loved about it, I'll tell you why, unfortunately, I'll not be taking the girls to see it although I'm sure they would love all the music, dancing and costuming. The story is an adaptation of the first few chapters of Genesis, including the creation, the garden of Eden, the Fall, the story of Cain and Abel, and concluding with the story of Noah. My problem is with the portrayal of the Father and the prophets. Heavenly Father is a main character in the play, and he comes off as an arbitrary, not very nice, parent. He tries to be loving but is also secretive and vengeful. He tries to talk Adam into staying in the garden without Eve. The prophets, Adam, Able, and Noah seem weak and simple for choosing to obey the father. The people who disobey are portrayed as having the "spark of creation" and seem more reasonable. I don't know. I found it bothersome. As an adult, I can recognize an interpretation of Genesis without the light of the Gospel. And like I said, it was very creative. But I think the play would be very confusing and troublesome for children, who don't really understand themes and symbolism.

So, I guess I have to say I left with very mixed feelings. But I really was impressed by the dancing. It was awesome!